"That sounds like a great idea." Tony stood up and cleaned up Karina's breakfast mess. "It's still early yet. Do you want to go back and try to get another hour's sleep? I can handle this one."

Ziva put her arm around his waist. "Why don't we all cuddle in bed for a while, the three of us? Karina loves being in our bed with us."

"Sounds wonderful to me." Tony looked at Karina. "What about you? Want to go snuggle with mommy and daddy for a while?"

Karina grinned and clapped.

Chapter Nine: "A Parent's Worst Nightmare"

Gibbs' and Mimi's Home- North Arlington

Tony and Ziva walked over to Gibbs' around 6 p.m. Ziva was pushing Karina in her stroller and Tony had Bridget on the leash.

They walked right in and went out on to the deck, where they found Gibbs and Bailey. Bridget immediate ran out into the yard to play.

Gibbs had added a new feature to the yard: he built a huge play area for the grandkids: a sand box, swings and a slide.

Other things like monkey bars and a fort could be added as they got older and then everything could be adjusted as they grew and became more independent.

Gibbs put down his grill brush and took Ziva in his arms. "Congratulations, Ziver." He kissed her on the cheek. He looked at Tony. "You too, Tony. Should I congratulate Karina?"

She already had her arms out, waiting for her grandpa to pick her up. Gibbs quickly complied, covering her face in kisses until she giggled and squealed.

"Where's Mimi?" Ziva asked. Gibbs sighed. "She's still upstairs, getting ready she says, but I think she is afraid you are mad at her."

"That's just plain silly, Boss." Tony said. Gibbs shrugged, as if to say "women, what can you do with them?"

Tony and Ziva looked at each other. Taking each other's hands, the turned around and headed for the stairs.

Gibbs grinned and sat on the slider with Karina, saying "wee" every time the glider moved back and forth, delighting in her laughs and squeals.

Tony and Ziva slowly approached the bedroom, feeling like they were invading Mimi's and Gibbs' personal space.

Mimi was sitting on the bed, the room immaculate. She looked up when she sensed their presence.

She started to cry. "I am so sorry. This is all my fault, I should have said something. I…"

Ziva rushed to her side. Tony was close behind her and sat on the other side of Mimi.

Ziva put her arm around Mimi. "Do not be silly. Of'course we do not blame you."

"If I had been your patient at the time, maybe I would be unhappy you did not mention the possible complication; but I was not."

"My doctor should have said something. But even having said that; we do not blame anyone."

"This was meant to be. Whether it is sooner than we planned does not matter."

Tony put his arm around her as well. "Once we got over the shock, we are really happy about this, so no blaming allowed. If anyone needs to be blamed, it's me for being such a stud."

At that, both Mimi and Ziva slapped the back of his head.

"See? All is back to normal. Let's get back downstairs before Bailey…oops, spoke too soon."

Bailey realized his mommy was missing, so he and Bridget went looking for her.

He went right to the bedroom immediately, having first checked the bathroom, one of his favorite rooms.

The dogs jumped on the bed and started licking Mimi, until she fell back laughing.

"Bridget! Off the bed. This is not your house." Tony spoke with authority but not anger. Bridget immediately obeyed and went and sat by Tony's feet. "Good Girl!" Tony rubbed her head.

Karina's laugh caused them all to look up. "Is this where we are having dinner? I'm going to have a hell of a time getting the grill up here." Gibbs quipped.

Tony and Ziva immediately stood up. Tony took Karina from Gibbs and they headed downstairs. Gibbs walked over to Mimi.

"I think I'm going to need a hand up." She held out her hand, still lying on the bed, Bailey licking her other arm.

Gibbs grinned and took her hand and pulled her to a standing position.

"Everything ok, now?" Gibbs kissed her lightly. Mimi nodded, her eyes still bright from the previous tears. He put his arm around her.

"Come on, let's go downstairs. Bailey, let's go."

Dinner was fun and now that Ziva had finally gotten over the idea that she was ruining Karina's baby years with her, the talk of the new baby was full of excitement.

"So, what do you want this time, a boy?" Mimi asked.

Tony looked at Ziva. "Well, we didn't really have a preference the first time around, but I'd be less than honest if I didn't say a son would complete the picture."

Ziva smiled. "From what I have read, the sex of the baby is determined by the father."

Tony mulled that one over. "Well, since we didn't know we were making a baby at the time, I guess I missed my chance to talk to my little men to perform their assigned task. What?"

Everyone at the table was laughing. Both Mimi and Ziva were snorting.

Gibbs looked at Tony, his expression a mixture of humor, disgust and disbelief. "Your little men? Too much information, DiNozzo."

Tony looked confused them alarmed. "Hey, I was not talking about…you know. I meant…ah, crap. Karina, get Daddy out of this will you please?"

Karina was laughing and clapping. "No-no" She gurgled.

"See? I am surrounded by women who make fun of me!"

"Dada dada dada!" Karina yelled happily. They all looked at her.

"Still feel bad, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked smiling. Ziva leaned in and kissed him. "But we love you!"

August 14th- Foggy Bottom

The bar was noisy and boisterous. End of semester celebration was in full swing. Lily had procured a table for her group of friends, which kept growing as Lily had a lot of friends.

The party was controlled, but there were still copious amounts of alcohol consumed.

With her Virginia friends, Lily got her roommate and the others back to their dorm rooms. Lily then helped her other friends into her car.

Sean tried to kiss her, but she pushed him away. "Maybe when you are sober." She laughed.

This was the guy she really liked, but she did not want to start anything based on alcohol.

She put him in the backseat behind her, and then the other two in the other vacant seats and strapped them all in.

She started her car engine and buckled in. Before she pulled out, she called her mom.

Gibbs and Mimi's Home- North Arlington 12:30 a.m.

Mimi turned off her phone and looked at Gibbs. "That was Lily. She is just heading out to take the Virginians home, and then she will call when she is headed back here."

"The 'Virginians'? You make them sound like some terrorist cell." He smiled softly. "How did she sound?" Gibbs asked.

"Sober, alert, and in control. There was some singing in the car, so I can't say the same for her…friends."

Tim and Abby's Apartment- Silver Spring, MD

Tim woke up and looked at the clock. Twelve-thirty. He then realized Abby was not in bed with him.

Concerned, he went looking for her. He found her sitting on the bathroom floor, tear stains on her cheeks.

Tim immediately knelt down beside her. "Abby, sweetie, what's wrong? What's happened?"

Abby looked down, then looked at Tim with such sorrow in her face it broke his heart. "I got my period."

Tim slid down beside her and took her in his arms, so she could lay her head on his chest. "Well, we'll just try again. We knew it might not work the first time."

"I know. I was just…so sure we would be…" She buried her head even deeper. Tim comforted his wife the best way he knew how: by letting her talk, and him listening.

Gibbs' and Mimi's Home- North Arlington

Gibbs and Mimi were sitting in the living room, well, Gibbs was. Mimi was pacing. "It's almost 2 a.m.! Where is she? Why isn't she answering her phone?" Mimi was in tears.

Gibbs got up and comforted his wife. "She can't answer her phone while she's driving. I'm sure she stayed to make sure her friends were ok."

"But she was supposed to call when she was heading back here…" Just then Mimi's phone rang.

"Thank God, I am going to kill her." She looked at the readout and paled. Gibbs immediately took hold of her. "Mimi, what is it?"

Looking at Gibbs, she brought the phone to her ear. "Hello? Yes, this is Mimi Allen. Yes, Lily Allen is my daughter…" She dropped the phone.

Gibbs immediately picked it up. "Hello? This is Lily's dad, who is this?"

"I'm sorry sir; we don't have a father listed as next of kin." The voice on the other line stated. Gibbs also lost the color in his face.

"Her mother is not able to talk to you right now and I am her step-dad and the closest thing you got."

"She is also a Navy dependent and I work for Naval Criminal Investigative Services, so I suggest you start talking."

There was some muffled talking. Another voice came on the line. "NCIS? Who is this?"

Gibbs looked confused. "Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Who is this?"

"Dr. Brad Pitt. I took care of Tony DiNozzo several years ago when he had the plague. I moonlight at other facilities."

"Just where are you? What's happened?"

"GW. Lily and three other students were involved in a car accident, broadsided by a drunk driver. The driver of the other car was killed."

Gibbs was still holding onto Mimi. "And Lily?"

"Extremely lucky. From what we can tell so far, she has a broken ankle, but obviously we are going to thoroughly examine her, especially for internal injuries."

"She's awake and has given consent. She's mad the ambulance people wouldn't let her call you or make the call themselves, making her mom worry about where she was."

"Thank you, Dr. Pitt. Take care of our girl. We'll be right there." He hung up. He led Mimi over to the sofa.

"She's fine. She may have a broken ankle, and they're going to thoroughly check her out. She's Ok, Mimi."

Mimi cried into Gibbs' shoulder. "The way they said who they were and needed to speak to the family of Lily Allen, I was sure she was dead."

"Shush, I know. It's a parent's worst nightmare. Let's get over there and we can see her for ourselves. That was Dr. Pitt I spoke to. So you know she's in good hands."

She looked up at that. "What's a Pulmonologist doing in an ED?"

"Making extra money. Hey, he saved DiNozzo's life. I trust him with Lily's. Now dry those tears and let's head on over to GW."

"Should we call anyone?" Mimi asked. Gibbs hesitated. "I hate to call anyone until we know the whole story, but we may be there until late in the morning. Bailey will need looking after."

He flipped open his phone.

Tony and Ziva's home- North Arlington

The ringing of his phone woke him up immediately, being attuned to sounds now that he was a father.

He looked first at the time, then at the readout. Ziva moved beside him. "Who is calling at this hour?"

"It's Gibbs." He answered. Ziva sat up straighter at that.

"Boss? Everything ok?" He bolted up in bed. "Oh, my God, is she ok? Yeah, sure, no problem. I'll wait downstairs for you." He hung up and started getting out of bed.

"Tony, what is it?" Ziva was terrified to see how quickly Tony was getting his pants on.

"That was Gibbs. Lily's been in a car accident. He and Mimi are on their way over to GW. They want us to keep Bailey in case they are gone for over several hours."

"Oh no. Is it bad?" Ziva had tears in her eyes.

Tony continued getting dressed. "He didn't say. Man of a few words, remember? I better get downstairs." Ziva grabbed her robe.

"I am coming with you."

They both waited on their outside porch until they saw Gibbs' car pull into their driveway. Ziva ran to Mimi's side of the car, who had rolled down the window.

"I am sure she will be fine." Ziva said softly. Mimi smiled through her tears. "I thought she was dead." A fresh flow of tears erupted. She composed herself. "All we know is a broken ankle at this point."

Ziva placed her hand on Mimi's cheek and looked into her eyes and tried to look as reassuring as possible.

While they were talking, Gibbs had taken Bailey to Tony. "What happened, Boss?" Gibbs looked at Mimi.

"Broadsided by a drunk driver, who was killed at the scene. Her doc is someone you know, Dr. Brad Pitt."

"No way! Well, she's in good hands, Boss."

Gibbs nodded. "Gotta' go, thanks for taking Bailey. Sorry to wake you up so early."

"That's what families are for. Should I call the others?"

Gibbs shook his head. "We'll call when we have more news. They've just started working on her."

Tony put his arm on Gibbs' shoulder and squeezed it. Gibbs nodded and ran back to the car. He looked briefly at Ziva, who nodded at him and gave him a small smile.

Tony and Ziva and Bailey watched them back out of the driveway and pull away. Sighing, they went inside. Once inside, Ziva started to cry.

"Hey, come one. It sounds like she's going to be ok."

"I am crying for Mimi. For a second, she thought her daughter was dead. Some day we may be waiting at home for Karina and could get a call…"

"Hey, let's not borrow trouble. The only control we have over the future is how we conduct ourselves today."

He led her upstairs. Bridget had already been alerted to Bailey's presence and they had to work hard to keep her from barking in excitement and waking up Karina.

As a treat, they let both dogs sleep with them. Soon, they were side by side at the bottom of the bed, snoring.

"Great." Tony quipped. "Three snorers." Ziva chuckled. "Actually four. You snore as well, Tony. You just refuse to believe it."

Tony got under the covers. "Get under here; I feel the need to have you in my arms."

"I feel the need for comfort as well, my love." They held each other for over an hour before they finally fell back to sleep.

George Washington University Medical Center- DC

Gibbs dropped Mimi off at the ED entrance, then went and parked the car on 23rd. Since it was so early in the morning, street parking was not a problem and Gibbs joined her less than five minutes later.

He found her standing at the information desk. He walked up to her and put his hand at her waist. "What did you find out?"

"That I can sit down and wait!" Mimi snapped.

Gibbs looked at the attendant sitting at the information desk. "Our daughter was just brought in, car accident. I have already spoken to Dr. Brad Pitt."

"He asked to be notified when we arrived. I suggest someone notify him." The attendant hesitated. "Now!" Gibbs whispered in the attendant's ear.

With that, he picked up the phone. "Hi, can you please tell Dr. Pitt that the family for…" he looked down at his sheet."

"Lily Allen." Gibbs and Mimi both said with exasperation.

"Uh, Lily Allen. Yes, thank you." He hit the buzzer and the double doors to the back of the ED opened up.

Gibbs took Mimi's hand and led her through. "Thank you." He said to the attendant.

The ED department was abuzz with movement and noises. There were orders being shouted about, phones ringing. Organized chaos.

Mimi looked up in relief when she saw Dr. Pitt. "Brad." She rushed toward him. He gave her a big hug. "It's been ages, Mimi. Wish it was under different circumstances."

He turned to Gibbs and shook his hand. "We only met briefly, but I will never forget you lightly tapping Tony's head to get him to hear you and telling him that he did not have permission to die." Mimi looked at Gibbs, surprised.

"Ok, Lily is in MRI right now, we are checking everything out. We believe all occupants lost consciousness, even Lily at least briefly. Hell, the air bags sometime do more damage than the accident."

"I don't think Lily received any head injury of concern, considering her level of consciousness and lucidness, but there are conditions that do not manifest up to 48 hours after the initial injury."

"Her ankle is broken, but it is not a severe break and will not require surgery and hardware." Mimi and Gibbs both breathed out a sigh of relief at that.

"What about the other passengers in her car…are they ok?"

Dr. Pitt looked grim. "The two that were seated on the passenger side got the brunt of the impact. Both are seriously injured, but I don't see their injuries as life threatening."

"The boy behind Lily did suffer a concussion and a broken arm, possibly some ribs. They are all still being poked and prodded."

Mimi looked at Gibbs. "Brad, I need to know. Had Lily been drinking?"

Dr. Pitt smiled at Mimi. "No. Unlike her passengers, who were plastered, she didn't have an ounce of alcohol in her."

"Frankly, the fact that the others were drunk probably prevented them from far more serious, possibly fatal, injuries."

"Bodies more relaxed." Gibbs murmured.

"Exactly." Dr. Pitt turned to him. He turned back to Mimi. "Look, when you see Lily, she's going to look at lot worse than she is."

Mimi looked at Gibbs, the back at Brad. "What does that mean?"

"Airbag injuries. Can bang the hell out of you." Gibbs answered. "Let me guess; black eyes, bloody nose, cut and swollen lip, maybe a bruise on her forehead?"

Dr. Pitt looked surprised. "You've seen this before obviously. Yes to all except the bloody nose. She should have a broken nose, but she doesn't."

"Are the other parents here?" Gibbs asked. Dr. Pitt shook his head. "Only one of the other students was local, Sean Fuller."

"The other two are from California and Wisconsin."

"The parents of Sean Fuller should be here shortly or may have already arrived. The other families have been notified and are presumably on the way."

Gibbs turned to Mimi. "You wait here for Lily. I'll go see if Sean's parents are here yet." He went back out in the lobby.

He located a man and a woman sitting close together, holding hands and took a wild guess.

He walked up to them. "Mr. & Mrs. Fuller?" They looked up and stood expectantly, then looked confused when they saw that he wasn't a doctor.

Gibbs held out his hand. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs, my daughter was the driver of the car."

Mr. Fuller's face got red. "Your daughter? This is all her fault. Driving drunk, almost killing our son…"

Gibbs' grabbed Mr. Fuller's arm and dragged him into a corner. "Hey!" He cried out.

Gibbs put his face right into Fullers. "You listen to me, you son of a bitch! Lily was not drunk."

"She didn't have a single drink. However, her three passengers, including your son, were three sheets to the wind."

"Lily was the designated driver. They were broadsided by a drunk driver, who was killed on impact." Gibbs pulled back just slightly.

"Now, is there something you want to say?"

Mr. Fuller looked back at his wife, who was standing there wide eyed with her mouth open.

Gibbs took a couple steps back to get out of his personal space.

Mr. Fuller straightened his collar. "I'm sorry, I just assumed. Look, I'm worried about Sean and no one has told us anything."

"Let me see what I can do about that." Gibbs headed back to the double doors. One look at the attendant made the doors open.

He looked for Mimi and found her waiting by a room with the curtain drawn.

"They just brought Lily back from MRI and are cleaning her up to make her a little bit more presentable before they let us see her."

Gibbs nodded. "Is Dr. Pitt around?" Mimi pointed to the desk. Gibbs walked over to him.

"Hey, you've got Sean Fuller's parents out there who have not heard a single word about their son."

"I pulled rank to get in here. What do they have to do?" Dr. Pitt looked a little surprised, then smiled.

He picked up the phone. "Thomas? Can you call Mr. & Mrs. Fuller to the back? Thanks." Gibbs smiled and returned to Mimi.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Fullers enter through the automatic doors to be met by Dr. Pitt.

He took them into an exam room that Gibbs assumed was occupied by their son.

Before they went in, Mr. Fuller looked around, caught Gibbs' eye and nodded and smiled his thanks.

Gibbs nodded back. The curtain behind them opened slightly.

"You can go in now." The nurse said. Mimi took Gibbs' hand and they went into the little cubicle.

"Oh, Lily! You're a mess!" Mimi was stroking her daughter's hair.

"Gee, thanks Mom. Sure know how to make a girl feel pretty."

Lily, as described, did indeed have two black eyes, a cut and swollen lip and a small bruise on her forehead.

Her ankle had already had been placed in a cast, purple per her request. "How's Sean?" She looked scared.

"Is that the young man you like?" Mimi asked. She looked at Gibbs.

"Where was he sitting?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"Behind me." Lily's chin was trembling, fighting back tears.

Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, all of your friends were injured. I don't have details, but I don't think he was hurt any more badly than you were."

Just then, Dr. Pitt showed up. "We have the MRI results." He was holding a folder.

Gibbs, Mimi and Lily stared at him, waiting for the verdict.

Thanks as always for the great reviews. Since the last chapter was shorter than usual, I made this one a bit longer, although not the usual fluff. Hope you like it. I just put up a new "Promonitions" story for next Tuesday's episode. Even after watching the promos several times, I still messed up some "known" scenes. Blame it on Bailey, who was lying in my lap helping me write. He admits to full responsibility.