I do not own NCIS...

Chapter 14

Tim and Ziva came out of observation just as Tobias was closing the interrogation room door behind him.

"That was... intense..." Ziva said, and Tim nodded his agreement.

"I've never heard Gibbs curse like that before."

"Well, this is new territory, kids," Fornell replied as they walked back to the bullpen. When they got back to the bullpen they looked around and did not see Gibbs.

"Where did Gibbs go?" Ziva asked. Fornell held up his hand, silently telling them to stay put, and walked toward the men's room.

When he opened the men's room door, Gibbs was standing at the sink, splashing cold water on his face. Tobias handed him a paper towel, and even after he dried his face, it was wet again quickly with the silent tears running down his cheeks. Gibbs turned away from Fornell, not wanting him to see the tears that he couldn't stop.

Tobias placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, and gently turned him around to face him. "It's alright, Jethro," he said quietly.

"No!" Gibbs exclaimed, "It's not alright!" He grabbed Tobias by the collar and shook him. "I should go back in there and kill that mother fucker! I should kill him for hurting my boy!" He let go of Fornell, leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. Tobias took a seat next to him and handed him another paper towel to dry the tears that were still flowing.

"I know you want to kill him, Gibbs, and God knows he deserves it after what he's done... but what will that accomplish? Then LJ won't have a mother or father to raise him."

Gibbs took a deep breath and nodded his agreement. Killing Darren would do more harm than good. They sat in silence for a few minutes while Gibbs regained control of his emotions. He finally stood and splashed his face with water again. Fornell handed him another towel, and this time his face stayed dry. Gibbs turned and looked at his friend for a moment before extending his hand to him.

"Thank you, Tobias," he said quietly while shaking his hand. "Sun's almost up. I was gonna have the team over for breakfast. You wanna join us? You can meet LJ."

Fornell smiled at him, "If you've got bacon, I'll be there."

~ NCIS~

The sun was just peeking over the horizon when Gibbs, Fornell, Tim and Ziva arrived at Gibbs' house, just before 6AM. They walked into the house to find Jack and LJ already in the kitchen. Jack was making coffee and bringing out breakfast ingredients while LJ sat at the table drinking juice from a sippy cup.

"Daddy!" LJ exclaimed, and Gibbs picked him up for a hug. "Hi Tim! Hi Zeeba!" He said as Gibbs held him.

"LJ, this is my very good friend Tobias. You can call him Uncle Toby. Can you say hello?"

"Hi Unca Toby," LJ said shyly, and Tobias smiled at him.

"Nice to meet you LJ. Boy, you're a cutie, aren't ya? My Emily is going to love you. Good to see you again, Jack!" He said, not wanting to overwhelm LJ with all of the attention.

"Likewise, Tobias!" Jack said with a smile.

Gibbs sat LJ back in his chair and asked him, "Is Tony still sleeping?"

"Yeah! I tried a wake him up, daddy, an' I even tickled his belly, but he still kep' snoring!" They all laughed and Gibbs started helping his father with breakfast.

"Ziver, go upstairs and tell him to come down for breakfast."

Ziva quietly made her way upstairs and into Kelly's room, where Tony was indeed snoring. She sat down on the bed next to him and ran her hand through his hair. "Tony... wake up ahuvi, breakfast will be ready soon." Tony groaned and rolled over, then groaned again and brought his hand up to his wounded shoulder. "Are you in pain, neshomeleh?" She asked and he nodded, still not opening his eyes. She spotted his pain pills and a glass of water on the nightstand and brought them over to him. "Come on, Tony, wake up and take your medicine, then come downstairs to eat."

Tony finally opened his eyes and smiled when he saw her. "I should get shot more often if it means I get to wake up to such a beautiful face." Ziva just laughed at him.

"Do not press your luck. Take your medicine and come downstairs for breakfast. Everyone else is up already." Ziva left him and went back downstairs, where everyone was bustling around the kitchen.

"Is anyone else coming?" Jack asked as he started scrambling eggs.

"It's Saturday. Abby, Ducky and Jimmy are probably still asleep this early. I'll let them sleep in." Gibbs replied.

"Must be nice," Tim muttered to himself with a smile and Gibbs playfully slapped the back of his head.

"I heard that, McGee."

After breakfast, they all settled in the living room to watch "The Fox and The Hound" with LJ. About 20 minutes into it, Gibbs got up and went to the kitchen to make more coffee. By the time he came back in, everyone was fast asleep, except for Tony and LJ. LJ was tucked under Tony's good arm, and they both watched the movie, while Tony whispered to him about the different scenes. Gibbs smiled at the sight. These two were going to be thick as thieves. That old, familiar feeling washed over Gibbs again, and for the first time in a very long time, he felt completely at peace.

TBC... Just one chapter to go!