Chapter 12

"Hey guys," Tony said when Mike and Grace entered his hospital room.

"You ready to go DiNozzo?" Mike asked.

Tony laughed. "I was ready four days ago!" He carefully stood from the bed with Mike's help. "Where's Boss Man?"

"Going over discharge orders with your doctor," Mike said.

"And how is Grace doing today?" Tony asked. "Are you having fun with Uncle Mike?"

"That's not Uncle Mike." Grace said. "That's Grandpa!"

Mike smiled at the toddler. "And I will make sure to get Probie back for that one of these days."

"Come on now Mike," Tony said, "you couldn't ask for a better grandkid!"

"You're right about that DiNozzo." Mike picked Grace up and blew kisses on her belly making her squirm and laugh.

"What are you doing to her?" Gibbs asked as he entered with a wheelchair.

"Oh Boss, no," Tony said, "I can walk, I swear."

Gibbs smiled at Tony. "Sit," he instructed.

Tony knew he wasn't going to win the argument so he decided against protesting and eased himself into the wheelchair.

"Can I push him Daddy?" Grace asked hopefully.

"Sure!" Mike answere. "Probie and I will go pull the car around!"

"Boss?" Tony said.

Gibbs smirked at Mike as Tony began to panic. "How about you help me push," he suggested. Grace was satisfied with the compromise and they pushed Tony down to the front door together while Mike pulled the car around. By the time they made it home Tony was already tired and barely made it to the couch before he was ready to sleep. Mike took Grace out for the day to entertain her so Tony could rest peacefully.

"Where we going Grandpa?" Grace asked as she looked out the car window.

"I'm taking you someplace real special Munchkin!" Mike said. "You like animals?"

"We're going to get a pet?" Grace asked.

"Now that's a good idea!" Mike said. "Probie would kill me but it would get him back for that Grandpa crack." Mike contemplated the idea for a minute. "Nah, no pet. How would you like to go to the zoo instead?"

"Where all the big animals live?" Grace asked.

Mike glanced in the rear view mirror and saw her eyes light up. "That's right!" he said as he parked the car.

The two spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon wandering around the National Zoo. By the time they got home Jenny, Tim, Ziva, Abby, Ducky, and Jimmy had arrived from NCIS with pizzas for dinner.

"Hi Sweet Pea," Gibbs said. "Where've you been all day?"

"Grandpa taked me to the zoo," Grace said. Gibbs set his pizza aside and pulled Grace into his lap. "We got to feed some fishies and I saw a goat just like Herman!"

"Sounds like you've had a busy day," Gibbs said.

"Here you go Sweetie," Mike said handing Grace a cup of water.

"You couldn't put that in a sippy cup?" Gibbs asked.

"Relax Probie, she's not going to spill," Mike said.

"If I get a lap full of ice water you're in trouble Mike!"

When everyone was done eating Ducky insisted on checking Tony out to make sure he doing was ok. Everyone except Jenny left early knowing Tony was still weak and Grace would be tired from her long day at the zoo.

The next day Gibbs dropped Mike off at the airport so he could catch his flight back to Mexico before he headed to NCIS. He left Tony home alone so he could rest with the promise of checking in on him throughout the day. Not long after Gibbs arrived at work Jenny called him up to her office.

"We just saw each other like an hour ago Jen. What's going on?" Gibbs asked.

"I just got word from NCIS Pearl," Jenny said. Gibbs sat down in the chair in front of her desk and got comfortable. "The FBI and Army CID tracked down their serial killer and have him in custody. Lt. Colonel Mann is recovering nicely. She's scheduled to be released from the hospital tomorrow."

"That's great," Gibbs said. "I'm glad everything worked out."

While Gibbs was in talking to the director Tim and Ziva were left in charge of Grace. Grace wandered over to Tim's desk and started opening his desk drawers.

"Hey," Tim objected, "what do you think you're doing?" Grace shrugged her shoulders and innocently looked up at Tim. "You know what?" Tim said. "Tony has all kinds of fun things in his top desk drawer. Why don't you go check it out!" Grace smiled at Tim before going over to Tony's desk.

"Ew!" Grace said. Tim and Ziva looked over to see her wearing a pair of goofy glasses and holding a balled up pair of gym socks.

"Oh Grace put those down!" Ziva said. "Who knows how long they have been in there!" Grace threw the socks on the ground and continued exploring the contents of Tony's desk drawer.

"You know Mcgee, maybe it was not such a good idea to let her go through Tony's things," Ziva said.

"Why not?" Tim asked. "Tony's always in my stuff."

"I know," Ziva said, "but you never know what exactly Tony has over there."

"Oh!" Tim said. He hadn't thought about Tony's girly magazines or any other items that might not be kid appropriate. "You uh, you want to watch a movie Grace? I have 101 Dalmatians."

"Ok!" Grace said happily. She closed Tony's desk drawer catching her finger in it and screamed.

"Oh no!" Tim said as he and Ziva raced over. Tim quickly freed her finger and picked her up but her crying didn't ease. He took her up to the director's office.

"What happened?" Gibbs asked as he took Grace from Tim.

"Pinched her finger in a desk drawer," Tim quickly explained, "sorry Boss!"

"Let's go see Dr. Ducky," Gibbs said calmly after looking at her finger. He hoped a band-aid would calm Grace down.

Grace continued to cry while Ducky looked at her finger and cleaned the small amount of blood off. After he put a band-aid on the injury she started to calm down.

"It's amazing the affect a band-aid can have," Ducky said. "If only more of the world's problems had such simple solutions."

"Thanks Duck," Gibbs said. "Is that better?" he asked Grace wiping a few leftover tears from her cheeks.

"It still hurts," Grace whined.

"Well that's because we're not through making you all better," Ducky said. "We have to do one more thing and you'll be good as new."

"Will it hurt?" Grace asked.

"Not at all!" Ducky promised. "Go right over there and see Mr. Palmer and he's going to get you a lollipop for being such a good patient and when you're done with that you're finger won't hurt anymore!"

That night while Jenny bathed Grace and put her to bed Gibbs sat down to have a talk with his senior field agent.

"How're you feeling DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"Feeling good Boss," he said, "getting stronger every day."

"And the shooting?"

Tony shrugged. "It is what it is," he said remembering when Ziva had said that to him during a previous case. "It's not the first time I've faced death, doubt it'll be the last, though I've got to tell you Boss, I'm starting to feel like a cat with nine lives and I'm not sure how many I have left."

Gibbs smirked and nodded. "You're a bit more stoic than you were when we were on the Chimera and you thought you had hemorrhagic fever."

"Boss, the fever is like death is coming and even though you know you're going to die you can't do anything about it. Your life is over and you have to suffer through every last painful minute of it! There's nothing you can do but wait! Your life flashes before your eyes! You can't anticipate being shot, it just happens."

"Very dramatic DiNozzo," Gibbs said.

"Jethro," Jenny interrupted, "Grace is waiting for her Daddy to give her a good night kiss and read her a bedtime story."

"On my way," Gibbs said as he stood. He turned back to Tony, "Glad you're feeling better."

Tony smiled from ear to ear as he reached for the remote and turned the TV on.

Tony spent the next two weeks with Gibbs, Jenny and Grace. Ducky came by often to check on his progress and make sure he was healing properly. Palmer snuck over during the day when Tony was alone as long as he wasn't too busy in autopsy. The team came and went as if they lived there, sometimes spending the night sometimes just stopping by for a short visit.

During his stay Grace came to think of Tony as her big brother. She loved cuddling up on the couch with him and watching TV while laughing at the different accents and impressions he did. Tony was thrilled to have an audience that enjoyed his vast movie knowledge. As he got stronger Tony started taking Grace out on short walks, first up the street, then around the block. When it came time for Tony to return to his own apartment Grace had a hard time understanding why he had to leave.

After Tony had been cleared to go home Gibbs' house calmed down quite a bit. A lot of the excitement followed Tony home with the team members constantly dropping in on him to ask if he needed anything, bring him pizzas and movies or just sit with him so he wasn't alone. Gibbs, Jenny and Grace settled into a quieter, slower lifestyle.

With Jenny's help Gibbs got Grace enrolled into a preschool program and helped her settle into a normal daily routine. He was surprised at how difficult it was to leave her at school each morning. He remembered watching Kelly in the rear view mirror of his truck as he drove off and then never seeing her again. The thought of leaving Grace and never seeing her again made Gibbs reluctant to drop her off anywhere but Jenny assured him a morning away at preschool would help prepare her for kindergarten and that being around other children her age would be good for her.

As the days turned into weeks Ziva and Tim realized that as much as Tony could sometimes get on their nerves they still missed him terribly when he wasn't around. His ability to bring levity to the most gruesome of scenes helped keep everyone sane as they faced the horrors of what human beings were capable of. Though both agreed never to admit anything to Tony they often found themselves remembering some of the stunts he'd pulled and talking about how much they missed him.

Seven weeks after the shooting Tony showed up at Gibbs house shortly after dinner.

"Tony!" Grace couldn't contain her excitement when he walked through the door. She raced over to him and begged to be picked up.

"Hey there Baby Girl!" Tony smiled and carefully lifted her into his arms. He took a seat in the recliner and propped her on his leg. "Boss, Director," he greeted.

"What's up DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. "How'd your appointment go today?"

"It went really good," Tony said. "That's actually what I came to talk to you about. He cleared me to go back to work."

"Can we have ice cream?" Grace asked, interrupting him.

Tony smiled at her and tapped her nose with his finger. "I'll tell you what, after I talk to Daddy for a minute, then we'll go get a really big bowl of ice cream for you and I to share! Ok?" Grace was satisfied with Tony's answer and sat quietly on his lap.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Gibbs asked his voice coated in fatherly concern.

Tony nodded his head adamantly. "I'm ready Boss! Everybody's been so great but I'm going crazy with nothing to do all day. Please Boss, you have to let me come back," he pleaded.

"If you're sure you're ready I don't see why that would be a problem," Jenny piped in.

Gibbs glared over at her, not impressed with her input. He liked to evaluate his own team, he knew their strengths and weaknesses, he pushed them to expand their boundaries and step outside of their comfort zones and he always had their back. He knew each of them better than anyone else.

"Don't look at me like that Jethro," Jenny warned, "the doctor cleared him and he says he's ready. If he wants to come back he can come back." Tony sat with Grace on his lap smirking at the argument between Gibbs and Jenny. It had been awhile since there had been any drama in his life and he always enjoyed watching their little 'lover's quarrels' as he called them.

Gibbs attempted to stare Jenny down but quickly realized she wasn't going to back away from this argument. "I like to manage my own team Jen," he said.

"I know you do," Jenny told him.

Gibbs glared at Jenny a moment longer before turning his attention to Tony. "Tomorrow's Saturday, we don't work this weekend, so first thing Monday morning?"

"Thank you Boss!" Tony said.

"Time for ice cream?" Grace asked, sensing the adult conversation was over.

"Sounds good to me!" Tony said as he put Grace on the floor in front of him and stood.

"We don't have any ice cream," Gibbs said.

"Why don't you ever buy ice cream?" Jenny scolded him. "You know Grace loves the stuff!"

"I don't know!" Gibbs said glaring at Jenny again.

"I can go get some," Tony offered.

"Me too! Me too!" Grace said jumping up and down in front of Tony.

Gibbs stood and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. He flipped it open, pulled a ten dollar bill out and handed it to Tony.

"Do you care if Grace comes along?" Tony asked.

Gibbs knelt in front of Grace who was bouncing around excitedly. "Are you going to be a good girl for Tony?" She nodded her head enthusiastically, smiling from ear to ear. "Come give me a hug."

Grace wrapped her arms around Gibbs' neck and squeezed. "Thank you Daddy! I promise I will be berry good."

"You've got to keep Tony out of trouble too!" Gibbs teased. Grace smiled up at him unsure of how to respond. Gibbs handed Tony his car keys and the two were off.

"You've always got to play boss, don't you?" Jenny said after Tony and Grace left.

"I am the boss," Gibbs said as he sat down next to her on the couch.

"I am the boss," Jenny corrected. Gibbs smirked and pulled Jenny into his lap. He left a trail of soft kisses down the side of her neck. Jenny reluctantly relaxed against Gibbs chest as he kissed her cheek and then her ear. She trailed her hand from Gibbs' knee up the inside of his thigh. Gibbs caught her hand before she went up to high and held it in place against his leg.

"Later," he groaned, "the kids will be home soon." Jenny turned and pressed her lips to his, letting him deepen the kiss and rewarding him with a soft moan of satisfaction. When they broke for air she rested her head against him. He gently ran his fingers through her hair as she listened to the soothing sound of his heart beating.

When Gibbs suspected Tony and Grace were almost home he moved Jenny off of him and stood. Jenny gave him a disapproving moan. She was enjoying his closeness and comfort.

"Gracie already tells everybody we kiss on the lips," Gibbs said, "we don't need her telling them what else we do." He winked at her before disappearing into the kitchen to get some bowls out for the ice cream.

"Boss!" Tony called as he entered the house. "Boss, you aren't going to believe it! Grace is a total chick magnet! I had girls stopping me left and right."

Gibbs took the ice cream from Tony and rolled his eyes. "Is your dry spell over?"

"Yah Boss! I think it is!"

"You will not use my daughter to pick up girls," Gibbs said.

"Of course not Boss!" Tony said, silently scolding himself.

Gibbs handed Jenny the ice cream. "Here you go… Boss," he teased. "You can be in charge of the ice cream."

Jenny squinted her eyes at Gibbs and playfully smacked his chest before snatching the ice cream out of his hands. "You never scoop it right anyways," she said.

"What?" Gibbs asked. "Since when is there a wrong way to scoop ice cream?"

"You always scoop it with a spoon!" Jenny said. "Who does that? They invented ice cream scoops for a reason Jethro!"

Tony laughed. "You two fight like a married couple." Gibbs and Jenny both turned and glared at him. "Uh... er... I'll take a little bit of chocolate syrup on my ice cream," Tony said trying to change the subject, "just a tad."

As Gibbs lay awake in bed late that night he reflected on the past couple months. He remembered the phone call from Texas informing him of his sister's death and the wave of panic that washed over him when he learned he would be Grace's primary caregiver. It had been a long time since he'd cared for a child, and he always had Shannon by his side to help him.

He thought about the phone call from Ziva telling him Tony had been shot and she didn't know if he was alive. Risking your life was part of the job and all his agents knew that but he couldn't imagine losing one of his team. He'd invested a lot in them both professionally and personally and he loved each of them as if they were his own children.

After Shannon and Kelly died he knew he would never have a happily ever after story book type ending but he was determined to make the best of what he had and be content no matter what life threw at him. That was always challenged when he stared death in the face or when dramatic changes were taking place all around him. That was when he started second guessing himself.

Jenny shifted on his chest bringing her hand up to rest on his shoulder. Gibbs rubbed her back gently and thought about the past several weeks with her. She hadn't officially moved in with him but she spent each night beside him in bed. Grace didn't call her mommy but Jenny had basically assumed that role in her life. Gibbs wasn't good at discussing the details of his personal life and Jenny knew that. They had both just let things happen over the past weeks. There was no need for verbal communication between them. They understood each other. They knew what the other one needed. It was their unspoken language but lately with all the loss that surrounded Gibbs, as well as the close calls there was something he needed to say. He didn't want to wait until it was too late, until he never had another chance. Now was the time.

"I love you Jen," he whispered as he gently rubbed her back. He felt her smile against his bare chest.

"I love you Jethro," she replied. Despite the sleep in her voice Gibbs knew she was fully aware of what she was saying. He kissed the top of her head and she moaned softly and cuddled into his chest more.

Gibbs heard the bedroom door creak open. He glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. Grace was right on time. He lifted the covers so she could crawl under. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him while holding Jenny close with the other arm. Gibbs smiled as he closed his eyes. Maybe he was going to get his happily ever after, after all.

The End

Author's Note: That's it. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I have about nine other stories in various stages of completion so I'm anxious to dedicate some time to those. Thank you to all who've taken the time to read and leave reviews! The reviews totally make my day and encourage me to keep going. You guys are the best!