A/N: I know this chapter is an entire day early in my posting 'routine', but tomorrow is 'move the furniture' day and I doubt I'll have the time or energy to post the usual Wednesday night/Thursday chapter. Not to mention I don't have internet at my new place yet.

Thanks for the reads, follows, faves and comments, you folks always make my day!

Momcat: Hope you're feeling better! For me, it was my mother. The beautiful, ancient city of Amzida is fictional, it exists only in this story.

Chapter 21

Andy slept in his new room that night, loving having a dad to tuck him in and kiss him goodnight. His mama called to say goodnight too, just as he was turning in. He had goodnight kisses from his brothers, grandfather, aunt and uncle. When Tim checked on him a couple of hours later, Andy was still smiling in his sleep.

Tim was awake so early, he had to wait two hours before he could reach anyone at the school. When he did, he explained that his older son had been attending an international school but Tim and the boy's mother wanted to enroll him in the local school. The headmaster was already in his office and planned to be there all day. They set the appointment for 10:00, which would give Artie plenty of time to get to Brambury. Tim let her know, smiled at her response and wore the smile all morning.

Andy and his father walked to the Tube station to meet Artie and from there they walked to the school. Artie had printed out Andy's paperwork from the international school and the schools he'd attended before that, including his grades and reports from his teachers.

The headmaster was gracious, friendly, and professional. He asked his assistant to give the family a tour of the school while he took a look at Andy's records. Andy liked the look of the place, he said it looked 'friendlier' than the International School. When they returned to the headmaster's office, the man smiled at them. "Andy, I'm pleased you'll be joining us. Your marks and reports are ahead of where they should be, well done, young man!"

Within minutes, they had all the forms they'd need to complete and were walking out. Artie had a small suitcase with her and gave it to her son. "Here you go. I didn't know if you'd want to stay over tonight as well. We'll have to get you new uniforms. If you come home today, we can do that tomorrow."

Tim looked at her, "Are you sure? How about this, Andy and I will head into the city tomorrow for his uniforms. Then if he wants to stay at the flat for a couple of days and help pack, he can do that, provided that works for Susannah. Or if he'd like and it's all right with you, we'll pack more of his clothes and things and bring them back with us. I have a folding luggage cart, a small one, we can use."

"Either is fine. You might want to bring an empty suitcase as well, I'm not sure we'll have enough for all of us. Marissa has only lived in this flat with us, we've never had to move her things."

"We have suitcases and we'll do that. Does that sound good, son?"

"Yes, but can we bring Greg and Kyle, too?"

"Hmm, yes. You know what we might do. Let's rent a car and then your brothers can come with us and we can bring more things home."

Artie shook her head, "You should buy Susannah's car!"

"She has a car that she's selling?"

"She does, yes. It's a minibus and it's bigger than the 9 passenger type you mentioned. She used to manage a musical group and bought it to transport all the instruments, took all the seats out. She still has the seats and doesn't drive it often anymore, just enough to keep the tires from going flat. She won't need it in Scotland. She'll be sharing a flat with Ian, her boyfriend, who has a vehicle, and her work, shops and restaurants are less than 5 minutes walk."

"Do you think she'd let us use it this week? To move stuff? I have my UK driver's license."

"She's planning on it! The seats need to go back in, though."

"Ok, we're adding suitcases, tool box and my dad to the list!"

Artie smiled, "We'll pack the suitcases we do have tonight, then tomorrow you can leave the empty ones and take the full ones home."

"Works for me." They'd reached the Tube station and she kissed them both goodbye as she headed for her train to work.

Andy watched her go, "I'm glad we're moving this week."

"You don't have to stay over, son."

"I know I don't, Papa, but I want to. It's nice at your place."

Smiling at him, Tim gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "You're all right, kiddo!"

Tuesday morning, the family, including Grandpa but not Aunt Sarah, rode the Tube into the city to the uniform shop, taking Papa's luggage cart and the suitcases. When Andy had everything he needed, they continued to the flat. Papa smiled when they saw the large minibus parked outside, it didn't look very 'mini' to him. "Wheels!"

His father looked at him, "Have you even talked with Susannah about buying it?"

"Not yet. I thought you'd want to take a look at it first. We'll borrow it today, bring it back tomorrow or Thursday for the next load."

"Huh. Yes, I will take a look at it and borrowing it is a great idea."

They went upstairs where Greg said the flat reminded him of their apartment in Silver Spring. The place here had two bedrooms, 1 bathroom, with a small kitchen and lounge. There weren't any bunk beds but Tim understood what he meant, the flat was cramped for Artie's family.

Susannah was more than happy to loan the van to Tim to help with moving them. She smiled when she handed over the keys, "I don't suppose you want to buy it?"

"I might. First have to see how it feels to drive. Do you have an asking price in mind?"

She told him and he nodded without comment or expression. If the van was in decent shape, that was a great price. If it needed a lot of work, more than Dad could handle, not so much. And since all the adults in the household would likely end up driving it, he wanted their opinions.

Exchanging the almost empty suitcases for the ones Artie and Susannah had packed, it was Andy who remembered to take the bags with his new uniforms out of the suitcases they were leaving at the flat.

When they went back downstairs, Grandpa had one bench seat in, all they'd need for now. Andy was tall enough that the seatbelt fit him so it was just the two younger boys who still needed the safety seats. The rest of the seats were piled in the back, along with the suitcases already packed and away they went. Tim drove as his father hadn't yet driven in London. Both listened to the sound of the engine and watched the indicators for any problems.

Tim said the brakes needed tightening and Dad had a few ideas but waited until they got home to look under the hood. He made a list of repairs, mostly delayed maintenance along with the brakes. Tim told the boys they could watch but not to bother their grandfather. "He's making sure the van is safe. That's something he loves to do."

When Dad finished, he sat down with Tim. "Needs an oil change and a few minor fixes. I can handle it all. Brakes are fine, just needed adjusting and some fluid, tires are in good shape, they should last another 2,000-3,000 miles. Power steering needs fluid and a new hose, I can do both. Everything else is good to go. I'll get the seats in after I get done with everything else."

"Good, thanks, Dad. Keep track of your expenses as I want to take that off what I'm paying for the van."

"Just the stuff I buy, right? She's family, I don't want to charge her for my time. Besides, I like working on cars."

"If you don't mind, I don't. Thanks."

With a mock salute, Dad left, taking Greg and Andy to the store with him to get what he'd need for the van and leaving behind a napping Kyle. They were home 30 minutes, later, carrying a variety of car parts.

Deciding to start that afternoon, they'd have sunlight until close to 8 PM tonight, Gibbs whistled as he got to work. By the time Andy came out to tell him dinner would be ready in 10 minutes, he was nearly done, just had to put the seats in and then take it for a test drive.

After dinner, they all piled into the van and Tim drove it several miles around town. The brakes were good, the power steering wasn't creaking, the steering wheel responded well to turns and the boys reported that the seats were fine. Tim and Dad were pleased, buying the van would significantly help transportation around the UK and cut back on Uber and taxi fees too. The minibus, its designation, was designed to seat more than 16 passengers plus the driver. They were glad they had a long driveway!

Susannah called Wednesday morning to say she'd packed all the suitcases they had. Sarah, Tim and Andy had unpacked the ones they'd brought home, Sarah sorting the women's clothing and putting it in the bureaus in Artie's room, toddler clothes went into Marissa's room, Andy's clothes, well he knew what those were and where they went. Putting the empty suitcases in the van, Tim, Grandpa, Andy and Greg headed back into London after lunch. Kyle didn't want to go, he was tired of 'moving', and Sarah had time available so they stayed home.

Before they did anything else, Tim and Susannah sat down to talk about the van. Within a few minutes, money had exchanged hands and the McGees were the proud owners of a 2006 16 passenger van, almost immediately nicknamed Big Blue. Their business successfully concluded, the empty suitcases were exchanged for full ones and those were carried down to the van. Boxes of kitchenware came with them, although most of those boxes were Susannah's.

By Friday evening, the Galanis family were out of the flat and beginning to settle into their new home. Both families sat back to relax over the weekend. Kyle was especially happy to hear that moving was done as he hadn't liked it much. Too little to be allowed to help or do much, he hadn't cared for trips to the city without anything interesting or fun involved. He was, after all, 3-years-old.

He did enjoy the other side of 'moving', sitting on the floor of Andy's room with both his brothers, looking at all of Andy's books and toys. And he liked Marissa, they understood each other pretty well and she was fun to play with. And now he wasn't the only one who had to take afternoon naps!

By Sunday, the mission had changed from moving to getting the four kids ready for school, preschool and day care. Andy was settled in and happily continuing to enjoy his new family. Over the past few days, Marissa had spent time together with her mama and Tim, enough so that she was comfortable with him. She'd visit the day care for a couple of hours on Monday and depending on how that went, would spend most of the day there Tuesday. As Tim's classes didn't start until the end of the month, he'd be available to bring her home if she was unhappy enough to do so. Kyle was excited about resuming preschool, Greg was excited about starting Year 3 in the same school where he'd finished Year 2 and Andy was nervous and excited about starting Year 7 in his new school.

Grandpa insisted on taking photos of the four of them before they left for school Monday morning and Andy liked that; it made him realize they were kind of a family. Marissa and Kyle waited at home while Papa walked Greg and Andy to school.

Tim squeezed Andy's shoulder as he went into his new classroom. "Love you, son. Remember, try to relax a little."

Andy nodded as he took a deep breath and walked toward the open door, remembering that he wouldn't have to leave this school and move when his mother started working on her new project.

Greg was already in class, he'd been greeted outside by a couple of friends and he thought how much he liked coming back to the same place after attending 3 different schools the previous term.

Back home, Tim helped Marissa into her stroller and looked at Kyle. "You ready for school, Doodle Bug?"

Kyle giggled, he always did when Daddy called him that. He was Doodle Bug, Greg was Scooter Bug and he guessed Daddy needed more names for Andy and Marissa.

"I'm ready, Daddy! I don't havta ride in the stroller, do I?"

"Not unless you want to."

Kyle smiled proudly, shaking his head. He liked riding in his stand up pack on Papa's back, that made him really big, but he didn't like riding in the stroller. He couldn't see anything but legs around him and he was 3, not a baby! Today, he'd walk.

The three of them set out for the day care, known here as a nursery, which also housed the preschool. Marissa looked around as they walked, chattering to them, Kyle sometimes answering. When they reached the center, they first escorted Kyle to class. He and Papa kissed before he went into the classroom and then Kyle hugged Marissa. "Have fun, Rissa. I'll be right here." He pointed to the classroom and she nodded.

As they approached the nursery check-in, Tim lifted her out of the stroller and she patted his face, "Papa."

"Yes, honey, I'm your papa."

The teacher took her hand, walking with her to the play center, Marissa chattering the entire way. She spoke both English and Greek but Tim noticed that she favored English; maybe Andy used that when he spoke with her. Tim handed the diaper bag to someone and was invited to sit in the parents' room. He'd be here for the two hours Marissa would stay today and had come prepared with a thermos of coffee and his tablet. As he sat in one of the chairs by the window looking into the center, he relaxed, realizing it was the first time in over a week he'd had time to himself.

Marissa needed him once; when two more children joined her group, she was a little overwhelmed and her lower lip started trembling. Feeling bad for her with all the changes in her life, new house, new family, new papa, Tim went to her. They sat in a big chair, cuddled and had stories for a few minutes. When they finished the second story, he realized they had an audience and he smiled at the other children as he helped Rissa crawl off his lap. She played for a few more minutes, had a snack with the other toddlers and when it was time for morning naps, she left with her new papa. She waved goodbye, she'd be back tomorrow.

Back home, she cuddled with her papa before falling asleep in her toddler bed. Tim relaxed, feeling she'd be fine going back for a longer stay tomorrow. When he went downstairs, he found his father in the kitchen pouring two mugs of coffee.

Tim chuckled, "How do you always know?"

Dad shrugged, "I know you. Everything go all right?"

"Yes. The boys were excited although Andy was a little nervous, too. And Marissa did fine. She got a little overwhelmed once and we had a story together but overall, she did great."

"Good! So, what's next on the agenda?"

Tim laughed, "No idea. My head's still spinning."

"Here's something to think about – telling the rest of the family about you and Andy and the Galanises moving in with us."

His eyes wild, Tim looked at his father, horrified. "Oh my God! I can't believe I forgot all about telling them!"

Gibbs laughed, "Not the end of the world, they're not over there wondering when we're going to tell them!"

When Tim didn't say anything and was quiet for a little too long, his father looked at him, "Having second thoughts?"

"No, just wondering where this will go. And how to tell them."

Gibbs frowned, "Are you worried about this?"

"No and yes. I'm not worried about Andy or Marissa living with us. I'm worried Artie and I will either get too caught up in each other or too caught up in family life to see straight. If that makes sense."

"It does. Do you trust what she told you about her fears?"

Tim tilted his head, "Yes. I talked with Susannah about it later and she told me some more about their father. And because I've met their mother and as I think I said, everything she said was prefaced by 'your father wants…' Right now, I'm not sure I trust either of us."

"Because it's too easy to imagine a future together?"

"Yes."

"What if it does happen? Do you trust your feelings?"

"Yes and I'm beginning to trust hers again. That's what worries me."

"You're worried about taking another chance with her."

Tim had his arms crossed on the table and now he put his head down on them. "Yes, because I lead with my heart. I feel like the perennial patsy."

"You're a patsy? So you stood by and let your stepmother kill your father and brother and then abandon you and Sarah. When you were younger than Andy?"

"Not what I meant."

"Okay, what did you mean?"

"I have a soft heart and let people walk all over me."

"Really? So that's how you survived 9 years on the street?" Jethro relented and rubbed the back of Tim's neck. "There's nothing wrong with your heart, Timson, it's a good, strong heart, not a soft one. You don't let people walk all over you. Not anymore and most of that, if you're thinking of Abby and Tony, was my fault. Think about this, as hard as this is for you now, how would you have felt 12-13 years ago?"

There was quiet and then Gibbs saw his shoulders hunch and a shudder run through him. "Yeah. Pretty damn awful. You would have had to seriously delay all your dreams. There's a chance you would have totally given up your dream of being a federal agent rather than chance leaving your child without a father. You could risk that with Sarah and Rob, they were nearly grown by then. They would have had one year, maybe two in foster care and I'm sure by then you had a legal document naming the Porters as their legal guardians. Plus they had Geordie."

A nod confirmed that.

"Do you regret her telling you now?"

"No and I have no regrets about Andy. My worries are about Artie and me; about jumping in with both feet and my eyes closed."

"You let yourself take a risk. You haven't felt confident enough to do that in the past. Oh, sure, in our work, you built up your confidence level. But not with your life or your heart. Huh, you didn't have to risk your heart because she left first."

"Hadn't thought about that." Tim sighed, "And yes, because I'm always afraid of losing everything again. Until I did – or thought I did – and survived mostly intact, with the people I loved."

"Are you afraid you're wrong about Artemis' feelings for you? Afraid that this isn't going to work out, that it'll turn into a mess?"

Another nod. Gibbs was quiet, thinking. "If that happens, she and Marissa will find somewhere else to live, she'll make other arrangements for her daughter's care and the two of you will continue to share custody of Andy. You're not going to lose him and you'll have to share him with her for the rest of your lives no matter what happens or doesn't happen between the two of you. Like Tobias and Diane sharing Emily. Only I hope with less nastiness. It'd be painful but not the end of the world."

Sitting next to his son, he wrapped his arms around him as best he could. "Promise me something?"

"Dad?"

"Don't marry Artemis because you feel a sense of obligation or that she's your last chance. If and when you trust your feelings and hers, love her with all your heart and believe without a doubt that she trusts you and loves you with all her heart, then that's good. Honesty between you, son. That's something I could never give Diane, Rebecca or Stephanie. How could I when I wasn't being honest with myself? Love, respect, commitment, honesty, desire and a sense of humor, those are the qualities that Shannie and I had in our marriage. The order doesn't really matter, it'll vary anyway. And I know all this because she told me. She was a very wise woman."

He paused, "Will you set up some sort of legal guardianship so you can make decisions about Andy and Marissa when their mother's not available?"

Tim nodded, "I called my family law attorney last week and he sent me a couple names of family law attorneys here. He also outlined what needed to happen, according to the laws of the U.S. Not just Marissa, but for Andy too, because my name isn't on any of his records. I'll file paternity claims here, in Greece where he was born, and in the U.S. We have an appointment Wednesday morning."

"Both of you?"

"Yes, that way I make sure it gets done, that my wishes are heard and we agree on whatever needs to happen."

"Good idea." He hesitated before plunging forward, "You really aren't sure of her?"

"I'm not and we know we need to work on things, need to communicate when we're scared, angry, sad, confused. It works both ways. Maybe if she'd really trusted me, she'd have come to me earlier with the truth or told me she needed help."

Tim relaxed a little as his father's arms tightened around him. They stayed like that for several minutes until Dad's tummy growled. Then they both laughed and resumed their normal activities, including a midmorning snack for Dad.

Marissa woke from her nap, greeting Tim with a smile. After changing her diaper, they walked downstairs, the toddler telling him, this time in Greek, how much she liked day care. He found that if he answered or spoke to her in English, she spoke in English. Very bright for a child who was only 23 ½ months old!

He felt better after talking with his father. He guessed he was making up for lost time, all the years he hadn't had a parent to go to for help.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

Deciding to hold off contacting the family with all their news until the weekend, Gibbs, McGees and Galanises spent the week getting used to living with each other and establishing new daily routines. Marissa went to the nursery for a full half day on Tuesday and did just fine. Wednesday, while her mother and Tim went into London to meet with the attorney, she spent nearly the whole day at the nursery, with Aunty Sarah registered at the nursery if there were problems.

The attorney was surprised, although pleased, that Tim's US attorney had briefed him on what needed to be done. The paternity claims for all 3 countries were completed, signed and mailed that day while Artemis and Tim had drafts of the legal agreements between them, one for Jason Andrew Galanis, who might also be known as Jason Andrew McGee, and one for Marissa Athena Galanis, who might also be known as Marissa Athena McGee, in their emails late that afternoon. Tim was relieved that he and Artie agreed on everything that mattered.

Gibbs was called into work early that morning, around 3 AM. He thought if Joel Morris thought he could get away with it, he would have called Tim in, too. It was a complex case involving two of the four NCIS European offices. Tim later told his dad he'd felt 'itchy' all day, as if he was supposed to be doing something, although he didn't know what.

As it turned out, Tim did get pulled into the case Wednesday evening. When his cell phone chimed with a call at 2200, he had a feeling he knew who it was. Surprisingly, it wasn't Joel, but Director Vance.

"Tim, hope I didn't wake you but we need your help. We've got a complex case in the UK and on the continent with both London and Marseilles involved. With all our agents in the field at multiple crime scenes, including Gibbs, we need someone inside to handle inquiries, searches, warrant requests and communications. The Intel analysts have been helping but I need you, your expertise, experience and intuition. I've got several agents on their way over the Atlantic but we need you to practice your electronic wizardry. Please?"

"Are the protocols to sign in here the same as at home?"

"Yes and your ID is active, I had IT double-check. You'll need to change your password." Vance tried not to let his sigh of relief escape.

"Yes, sir, I'm already in. There's a folder marked with today's date, is that it?"

"Yes and thank you, Special Agent McGee. I'm in MTAC, likely to be here all night, if you need anything, have questions, ping me here. When you find what Joel or Roger in Marseille are asking for, contact them directly, I'll send their cell numbers. You have to be anywhere tomorrow?"

"Uh, no. My siblings can cover the kids."

"All right, feels good to have you back, Tim, even if it's temporary. If you'll send me a sitrep before you log off, that'll be fine."

Tim acknowledged that and disconnected, quickly accessing the tasks as outlined in the folder and prioritizing them.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

In MTAC, everyone smiled when they heard the director thank McGee, glad to know he was involved.

Over the next two and a half, nearly three days, Tim took time away from his office and work only to eat, drink, kiss the kids goodnight and answer nature's call. Within a few minutes of starting his first search, he swore he felt the old mojo flowing through his veins as he went diving into financial records and security footage to find locations, electronic evidence and facial recognition. At some point he found notices in his email from the British and French governments' versions of the U.S. State Department, authorizing him to do what he was already doing, searching every database he could get into for information. Warrants were requested, arrived and sent electronically to the Team Leads. There were 3 teams in the field, Gibbs' status had been changed to 'active' and given a team to work with.

Thursday, facial recognition, with help from Abby, brought identities to him. When Tim finally found locations for two of their persons of interest, he started to cheer before he remembered to look at the time. It was 0430 Friday morning. Immediately sending warrant requests, with copies to the appropriate government, Interpol and EU offices he'd been working with, he notified Joel Morris, Roger Martinez in Marseilles and Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

The warrants were in his inbox by 0630. In the meantime he'd grabbed a nap on the couch in his office. Sending them to the 3 team leaders, he looked through his task list for anything else that needed doing. Tackling the unfinished requests, he jumped when someone knocked on his office door. It was 0730 and Artie was standing there with his breakfast and a clean mug of coffee. She smiled at him, he looked like hell, his hair sticking up all over and wearing clothes she'd seen on him yesterday, but his eyes were bright and alert and he looked happy. With a grin, he said, "I'd kiss you but my breath would probably knock you out. Thanks for the food!" He started to say something else when his laptop chimed and he immediately turned away. She pulled the door shut and stood there, feeling somehow vindicated. This clearly was what he'd been meant to do and if she'd told him about their son all those years ago, he probably would have had to pass it up.

By 1000 Saturday morning, they had 8 suspects in custody and enough evidence, electronic and physical, to convict and keep them locked up for many years. Tim was online with MTAC as all the field teams reported in and he waved with a grin as Vance introduced him, thanking him for his help. After sending his final sitrep to Vance, he signed off and made a beeline for the shower. By the time he was clean, dressed in clean jammies, slippers and robe, he went downstairs to make breakfast for two as he'd had a text from Dad, who was on his way home. Rob was in the house and when Tim said Dad was on the train, his younger brother grabbed the keys for Big Blue, heading to the station to pick him up.

As Tim lifted the last of the bacon out of the skillet, he noticed the kids were there and tiptoeing around him. "Hi guys, gal! How about a hug?"

He chuckled as the four of them tackled him. "Oomph! Feels good!"

"Did you get all the bad guys, Daddy?"

"Yes, Kyle, they're all in jail."

"Yay!"

"Where's Grandpa?"

"On his way home, your uncle Rob went to pick him up at the station."

"Are you going to sleep all day?"

"I am and I imagine your grandfather will too. But first we'll eat. Would one of you please get the bread, butter and jam out? And put four slices of bread in the toaster?"

Andy grinned, "I'll do that, Papa."

"Thanks, kiddo."

"Can we ask you more questions about the bad guys?"

"You can ask but neither of us are allowed to talk about it."

Kyle looked puzzled, "Is that a rule?"

"Our rule, yes."

Now Greg was worried, "Papa, is it like before?"

"No, son, neither your grandfather or I are related to or know anyone connected to the case. However, it is like before because we can't talk about it with anyone that didn't work on the case."

"But you and Grandpa can talk about it?"

"With each other but not in front of you or anyone else."

"Oh good. I mean, that's okay, as long as you can talk to each other."

"That's right, Scooter bug. What have you got planned for today?"

"Mama and Aunty Sarah are taking us to the zoo. We're leaving soon so you can sleep."

"Ah, thanks, sweeties! We'll catch up tomorrow, how's that?"

"Okay."

"Andy, Greg, do you have homework to do?"

"Yes but we already did it."

"Attaboys!"

They were just gathering sweaters and a new-to-them double stroller Susannah bought from a co-worker when Big Blue pulled into the driveway and Grandpa and Uncle Rob got out. Grandpa smiled tiredly, giving the kids a wave, "Consider yourselves hugged and kissed but I'm smelly, haven't had a shower in a couple of days. Is Tim still awake?"

Artie smiled, "He's cooking breakfast for both of you."

"Thanks! See you tomorrow, kids, I'll probably sleep straight through."

Andy nodded, "That's what Papa told us, too."

Rob handed the keys to Artie; Sarah helped the kids in and then climbed into the front seat, laughing as Artie pulled the seat up and changed the mirrors. "So nice to have someone else who has to do that!"

His arm around his dad's waist, Rob got both of them into the kitchen before hurriedly excusing himself. Gibbs chuckled, "I stink."

Tim grinned as he kissed him. "You earned that stink! Welcome home, Boss, great job!"

"And to you, Special Agent McGee! Great job, couldn't have done it without you."

"Aw, you would have, just might have taken longer."

Gibbs snorted, "Yeah, weeks longer!"

They sat down to eat in silence, managing to get their dishes into the sink before the adrenaline crash started to hit. Tim walked his dad to his suite before nearly crawling upstairs. Once in his room, he wondered briefly if he was too tired to sleep. Until he laid down. He managed to kick his slippers off and then he was out.

He woke at 0253, hoping it was Sunday and not Monday morning, and decided he was starving. Rolling out of bed, he found his slippers before flipping the light on. And then smiled as he spotted a plate full of something on the table next to his big chair. It was a still warm roast beef sandwich, complete with his favorite horseradish, a slice of cheese, lettuce and a tomato slice, with carrot sticks, cookies and an apple piled next to it on the plate. Next to it was a travel mug full of coffee, a bottle of water next to it. He found a note under the plate, "Sandwich made at 0200, R says safe to eat until 0430. Lv S&R"

Tim grinned, his 2 older 'children' were taking care of him. He drank the water, knowing Dr. Rob would prefer he drink that rather than the coffee and tried not to inhale his sandwich. He enjoyed every delicious bite and then ate the carrot sticks. He drank the coffee while he ate his cookies. Satisfied, he brushed his teeth and went back to bed.

Downstairs, his father had much the same experience and the two decided later it was the scent of the roast beef and coffee that woke them. Gibbs too enjoyed his repast before going back to sleep.

By noon on Sunday, both men were awake, dressed and downstairs, catching up on several days of news. Andy had a perfect score on a math quiz, Greg was complimented on his reading skills, Kyle learned how to plant seeds and Marissa played with shapes! Susannah said she'd been busy at work, Rob worked on a surgical team, Artemis was 98% done with her project and Sarah wrote 18,000 words for her next book.

Tim smiled, "Welcome to the McGee-Gibbs household, now the McGee-Gibbs-Galanis household. I'd ask how your first week went, but everyone's here so it must have been okay. Thanks for keeping me and the kids fed, watered and getting them to school and home. Artie, thanks for the food you brought me the other night! Rob and Sarah, thanks for the food early this morning, I woke up just before 3:00 AM, starving and there was a lovely meal, complete with treats and drinks, waiting for me in my room! Dad says he had the same thing, well done!"

The three women and Rob smiled, "You're welcome! Thanks for keeping us safe from the bad guys!"

Susannah looked at Tim and Gibbs, "Is there anything you can share?"

They shook their heads and Rob explained, having heard this many times. "They're not allowed to talk about active cases with anyone that isn't also working the case. Anything that's said could cause the whole case to be thrown out of court and put bad guys back on the street."

Papa and Grandpa nodded without saying anything. Then Tim thought of something, "No one should even mention that I was working on it here at home. If you've already said something, that's okay, I didn't tell you, but don't do it again, please."

"How come, Papa?"

"Because bad guys could hear that and try to find out what I know and that would put all of you in danger."

"Oh, that's bad!"

Tim looked at his father, sister and Artie, "I'll ask our landlord for permission to install one of my alarms."

"Good idea."

Artie frowned, "What if one of us sets it off by accident?"

"We'll probably only use it at night, when we're all away or the kids and one adult are here by themselves. It'll ring to the local police."

Susannah had another question, "One of your alarms?"

Tim blushed and his dad clapped him on the back. "He designed an alarm that's very efficient and easy to use. It's patented and I know he sells it online, not sure how."

"Independently, on Amazon and e-Bay. I depend on word of mouth, customer reviews and it does well on the market. Initially, people don't trust it because I have low expenses. I only do passive marketing online, which means the price is very inexpensive, a little over what each unit costs to make. Then they read the reviews, decide it's cheap enough to try it, they buy it and end up writing their own reviews. It has a 98% 5-star rating that's held for 6 years."

Artie smiled, "A man of many talents."

Dad frowned, thinking of the emails and Skype session that hadn't happened. "Did anyone call?"

Sarah nodded, "Ducky pinged us Thursday, I spoke with him, just general news. He said it took him a week and half to get through his jet lag but that it was totally worth it. And he wanted to know if we knew what dates we'll be there but I told him we hadn't made our reservations yet."

Tim yawned, "Guess we should do that soon."

Andy looked at his father, "Papa, when we go to Virginia, can we see where you used to work?"

Tim hesitated for a split second before nodding, inwardly wondering at his hesitation, hoping no one but his former boss noticed. He added, "We could do that."

Later, he wandered down to the basement where Dad was measuring a length of wood. Remaining quiet until the man finished, he sat on one of the stools. Finally his dad looked up, "Figure it out yet?"

"Nope, decided not to worry about it. I'm gonna send out an email about Andy, then we can Skype so they can meet him. And his mother, sister and aunt."

His father stopped what he was doing and looked at him for a long moment, "You're hesitant about introducing the women."

"Yeah. Don't want to make too much of them living here."

"Because of what we talked about before?"

Tim nodded before saying, "I can't think of any way to introduce Andy and not introduce the others. And he'd likely wonder why they weren't with him or mention it to them."

"Wow, you've got this knotted up pretty good – making too much of it, kiddo. Keep it simple. Introduce Andy and then Artemis, Marissa and Susannah. They're not going to ask any embarrassing questions or say anything embarrassing when the women are on camera with us."

When Tim gave his former boss an incredulous look, he shrugged. "Jimmy might. Or Abby…or Tony. Yeah, ok, I see your point."

Tim shook his head, chuckling. "But you're right, I am making this more complicated than it needs to be. I'll write them, ask them to keep their questions to themselves when we Skype; I'll answer them later – privately."

"See, simple!"

Rolling his eyes at the older man, Tim returned to the main level. The kids were in the backyard, playing ball with Rob, Sarah, Artie and Susannah. Deciding to join them after he wrote the email, he continued up to his office, noticing it really needed airing out after his marathon case work in there. Opening one of the windows, he sat at his laptop.

Forty-five minutes later, he was finally satisfied with what he'd written. The message said he'd recently discovered he had an 11-soon-to-be-12-year old son named Andy Galanis. The boy's mother was his college girlfriend, Artemis Galanis, whom he'd last seen in Seattle before he'd started FLETC. Andy, his mother, baby sister and aunt had been living in London and were now living with them in Brambury. He added what he hoped looked like a humorous note that Tony would have to find a different room next time he visited as 'the ladies' were now living in DiNozzo's 'old' room and that Sarah was thrilled to have other women in the house.

He explained that the women had moved in to avoid a complex, difficult situation and that he and Artemis had not resumed their relationship, their shared focus was on raising their son. He hoped his next point drove the message home, that there were a lot of issues to work out, especially why she'd kept his son from him. He added they'd have a Skype call in the near future but that he wanted to explain first to avoid any questions or comments embarrassing to Andy, Artemis or him during that call. He also mentioned that Andy would come home with them at Christmas and it was possible his mother and sister would join them.

Lastly, he proposed a Skype call for the following Saturday morning for those in the U.S. and afternoon in the UK. He attached the selfie photo he and Andy had taken on the steps of the British Museum two weeks ago as well as the photo Grandpa took of the 4 kids before school last week. He sent it to the extended family, including the Vances, Larry and Cyndi Porter and after much deliberation, Carly. Then he sat back, relieved. It was out there, people could take the news however they wanted.

He hadn't even left the office when his laptop chimed with an incoming Skype call from Ducky. He answered with a smile, "That was fast! Good morning, Ducky!"

"And a good afternoon to you, Tim. How are you?"

"Still a little tired from the marathon case last week but caught up on my sleep. And still somewhat in shock from the previous two weeks."

"I imagine. How did you find out? I thought if you told me, I could tell the others and lessen the risk of them asking indiscreet questions at an inopportune time despite your written plea."

"Thanks, that's been a concern." He told Ducky about Artemis' worry about Andy, Susannah's help with her nephew and niece and her impending move to Scotland.

"That's…well if it were me, I'd have mixed feelings."

"I do, believe me. Although Dad helped me see what her overall reasoning might have been, I'm still feeling ambivalent. What makes it even more difficult is that I love her, am still in love with her."

"Oh. Timothy, perhaps you should think about talking with a professional, at least to help you clarify your feelings."

"I've been thinking about that, too. Do you know anyone here, even someone I could ask for a referral?"

"Unfortunately, I do not. However, you have a physician of record, the doctor you saw when you arrived in the UK. As I remember, he also gave you your physical before starting at Bedford."

"Oh, geez! You're right, I forgot about him! I'm spoiled with my brother the doctor. I'll call him tomorrow, ask for a referral. Thank you!"

"Now, tell me about our boy. He looks like a young Greek version of you."

"He does. If you remember the photo in the kitchen at the shelter, he and I look a lot alike."

"Is he like you in temperament?"

"He's a bookworm and loves math and science, so as far as those aspects, yes and he, Greg and Kyle get along very well. He's also fairly quiet. I wasn't, not before we lost Patrick and Dad McGee. But I can see why he would be, most of his life he's been the only child of a woman who's locked into her work. And he's not quiet with me, during the first 5 minutes we spent together, he told he'd prayed I would come and then told me why."

"That's alarming! And what about his sister? From the photo with all the children, she's quite a bit younger."

"The same difference as between Sarah and me; she's a year and change younger than Kyle. Artemis met a guy in Australia and married him, she says mostly because he looks like me. They were transferred to London, she got pregnant, he apparently freaked out, wanted her to abort the baby and their divorce was final two days after Marissa was born. He does support the baby financially but doesn't want to be a father to her or anyone else."

"But Andy was with them before and after they were married? That's odd."

"I had the same reaction. Andy and I talked about it and then Artemis and I discussed it. There was nothing worrisome about his stepfather's actions toward him. They both said the guy mostly ignored him. Maybe he figured as a stepfather he wouldn't be responsible for Andy. And Andy wasn't a screaming baby either. You know some guys can't handle the idea of screaming kids and changing diapers, all the mess that comes with little ones." Tim took a deep breath, "Marissa is already calling me Papa."

"And how do you feel about that?"

"I'm okay with it, after all I've been Timpa and Papa to four other kids who weren't originally mine, what's one more? What I don't know is what my boys are calling Artemis. And I'm a little worried about Andy taking heat because his mother is living with me and we're not married. As close to London as we are, Brambury is a small town and we're already oddities, being Yanks. Now here comes a boy who belongs to the strange Americans even if he doesn't look or talk like them."

Ducky made a noise, "Your life continues to be complicated, whether you seek it out or not! Don't forget it's a university town, has been for 500 years. And you're connected to the university, which gives you much more…I'll call it social leeway, than if you were employed elsewhere."

Liking that idea, Tim decided to stop worrying about it. With the Autumn term at the university beginning in 2 weeks, Tim's days were busy preparing for his classes and meeting with his Department Master and fellow professors.

The paternity claims Tim filed, with Artemis also signing them, meant that his name had been added to his son's birth certificate as Andy's father. They used the updated birth certificate and related documents to apply for a U.S. passport for the boy. He also applied for a Social Security card for Andy. Then, consulting with the family, he made reservations for the trip home in December, relieved when 9 of them traveling together meant a group discount.

He and Artemis spent Saturday with the children and each other, taking all four of them on a hike, complete with a picnic lunch. They planned the length and pace of the hike according to Kyle's abilities, knowing he'd want to walk all the way and they'd take the Daddy pack along for Marissa.

Determined to keep up with her brothers, the little girl did well but didn't fuss when Mama picked her up and put her on Papa's back. She rode until they found a sunny spot for lunch and spread out their blanket. After they ate, she fell asleep on the blanket, a daisy she'd picked still in her hand. The boys were allowed to roam, as long as they could still be seen and heard from the blanket. Kyle returned with a pocket full of pretty rocks, leaves and acorns for his papa and then sat down with them, eventually leaning into Tim as he too fell asleep.

Greg and Andy had a great time exploring on their own, imagining they were in Sherwood Forest and part of Robin Hood's Merry Men. Greg climbed a low branch of a tree and then jumped down to show Andy how to climb. Papa had taught him on a tree at their Cambridge house and now he and his new brother had a good time scrambling up and around the tree, an old oak with low, sturdy branches.

Artemis tried not to show her worry. but Tim took her hand. "Artie, they're kids and climbing trees is a wonderful thing to be able to do. That's a sturdy tree, those limbs aren't flimsy or rotten and the boys are well coordinated, they're not going to do anything stupid." He laughed, "You're such a city girl! Not every child has access to trees he or she can climb. Right now, I bet they're playing Robin Hood or pirates or something equally creative. It's so good for them, helps develop their coordination and muscles as well as their imaginations."

"Did you climb trees?"

"Oh yeah! In Japan, we lived off base and there were trees in our yard. I don't remember what they were but we climbed up them every chance we got – and we were only Kyle and Rissa's ages when we moved there. When we moved to San Diego, where Sarah was born, we had two trees, both in the backyard. Pat and I spent as much time up there as we could. It was our place to be free from our stepmother, get away from the baby when she wouldn't stop crying, tell each other stories, imagine we were sailing the ocean, escaping pirates, living on an island or hiding from the Sheriff of Nottingham. What did you do for fun when you were little?"

"Took things apart and put them back together again which infuriated my father and frustrated my mother. She used to make my sister and I dress up and have little tea parties with our dolls but neither of us liked dolls, dress up or tea. Well, almost; Susannah liked her dolls because they could be sick patients she'd take care of. She had a blue towel that she draped around her shoulders, like a nurse's cape. When we were older, we had to go to functions for the Diplomatic Corps and those were so boring. All dressed up, smiling politely and not laughing when you realized the old man in front of you was the one my father spent most of his time criticizing. My brother loved those, he'd chat up everyone, I'd be looking for something to deconstruct and Susannah would hide or stalk anyone with a cough or the sniffles."

Tim laughed so hard he woke both Rissa and Kyle. While they roamed around a bit, Artie took photos of the two little ones, hand in hand, looking at flowers, leaves and bugs. She nearly screamed when Kyle brought a cool bug back to show them, "Look, he rolls up into a ball!"

Rissa came running, saying she'd seen a butterfly. When Kyle ran back to her spot with her, their parents suddenly saw what looked like a little cloud of butterflies fluttering around the little ones. They watched their children who were mesmerized, turning in circles looking at the butterflies, Tim and Artie not even aware they were holding hands. At some point Artie reached over and pulled Tim's phone from his other hand, taking photos of their little ones surrounded by beautiful Red Admirals, Large White and Clouded Yellow butterflies. Tim whispered, "They should be migrating, this is very late for them."

Artie whispered back, "Lucky us!" The older boys saw the cloud of something moving around their siblings and came running back, slowing down when they got close. The butterflies had nearly all left by then, but there were enough that for a brief second, each of the children had a winged beauty perched on a finger.

After the butterflies were gone, the family packed up, stuffed the blanket back in the pack Artemis wore on her back and started off home. Tim thought later it was a turning point in their relationship, the first outing with just the four kids and the two of them, watching their kids bond and feeling the old ties between them reasserting themselves.

When it was time for the Skype call, Tim was feeling pretty mellow and hoped it would show. Andy was excited, Artie had been nervous but now she felt calmer, ready to meet the rest of Tim's family and friends. Taking pity on her, Sarah drew her a chart so she could see how everyone was attached, some through their lives at the camp and shelter, some through NCIS and of course the Porters through MIT. Although she'd never met the 'guys' as Bill, Barry, Freddie and Jose had been known since the McGees first met them, she remembered some of Tim's stories and looked forward to meeting them. She was grateful the Porters would be there, 2 people she knew and liked and who knew and liked her. She knew who Lu was and of course Nate and Juanita although those two would not be on the Skype call.

She'd seen photos of everyone else, all the NCIS'ers and the friend of Jethro's from the FBI. And apparently his daughter. She was a little unclear if Jethro's boss, the head of the agency, would be on with them but decided not to worry about it. Although it was nice, and she thought unusual, that he and his family were considered extended family.

Tim hooked his laptop up to the big screen TV so they could see better. The first one on was Ducky and he smiled at all of them. "That's a lovely image. Hello children! Andy, Marissa, I'm your Granducky. My nickname is Ducky and so instead of grandfather, I'm Granducky. Greg, Kyle, Rob, Sarah, Timothy, my dears, you look wonderful! And of course you too, old friend." Gibbs grinned at him, glad for his friend's gift of gab. He could see now that this would be an easy call. Tim was more relaxed than he'd seen him since Greece and Artemis seemed mellower too.

Tim introduced Ducky to Artemis and Susannah and he graciously greeted them. While they chatted, two more windows popped open and they stopped to greet the Porters, Lu and all four of the guys. Tony, Abby, Ellie and the Palmers with baby Victoria all arrived at Ducky's at once and it took some time to get them straightened out and introduced. The Porters had met Lu and the guys at Sarah and Rob's graduations, Tony and Tobias after the attack last spring and now were introduced to the others. After everyone seemed to be there, Tim introduced Andy, Artemis, Susannah and Marissa. Andy was happy, he already liked everyone he'd met, they were funny and nice. Susannah was also happy, pleased to know that she was leaving her sister and family in good company. Not that she had any doubts about Tim or the others, but it was good to know that the circle of family and friends was a strong one even as it expanded.

In the U.S., Tony, Ellie and Jimmy - and the Porters - couldn't stop looking at Artemis and then back at Abby. Abby didn't notice, she was busy talking butterflies with the kids as they talked about their hike and picnic lunch earlier that day. Breena finally leaned over, told Jimmy to knock it off and to tell the others.

In the UK, Susannah noticed similarities between the dark-haired woman with the goth attire and her sister and also noticed the seeming fascination with Artie that Tim's friends were exhibiting, including the people from MIT. She smiled when one of the women, the one with the baby, leaned over and said something to her husband. Whatever she said, he passed it along and the others stopped gawking as did the two on their own screen.

Then more people entered the screen at Ducky's, the Fornells, and they were introduced. The girl, who was a teenager, smiled at the kids. "Hi, we're not related but then none of us on this side of the picture are. Except for the Palmers, the baby is theirs! However, we consider ourselves family and that means I'm your older cousin."

Kyle remembered her from Christmas and cheered when Emily said she'd be there again. Marissa was happy if Andy and the others were happy and cheered along with Kyle. They were all talking again when three more people walked in and waved hello, the Vances.

Emily laughed, "I forgot to tell you, you have 3 older cousins!" Kayla and Jared grinned, waving and the boys and Marissa waved back. Vance was introduced as the director of the agency and chuckled when Gibbs added, "We like him anyway. He's really a pretty good boss, just don't let him know I said so!"

They all laughed at that and he said something to each of the new people. Then there was movement in the shelter window, Tim hadn't realized that's where Lu and the guys were, in her office at the shelter, and suddenly Nate appeared. In unison, Tim, Sarah and Rob yelled, "Nate!"

He grinned, "Howdy, Timmo, Sari, Robbie, Jethro, glad to see you. And I see you've gathered more family, congratulations! Hello to you, my name is Nathaniel Eastman and I run the camp where the McGees and this bunch," he turned to include the guys, "grew up, along with Geordie, who we're missing today. I'm thankful the boys could make this happen at Ms. Lu's shelter so I could see you all."

He peered at the screen, "Ms. Artemis, are you the same Artie from MIT?"

"Yes, I am, Nate, and I'm happy to finally meet you!"

"Likewise! And you and my Timmo have a boy together, no, don't tell me, I know exactly who he is. Has your coloring and his daddy's features. Hello, Andy. I met Greg and Kyle last year, now I'm glad to meet you. And is that your little sister?"

"Yes sir, her name is Marissa."

"Oh, that's a pretty name. I'll have to tell my sister Juanita, she collects pretty girl names. Now I don't want to monopolize the conversation, just had to say hello! One more quick thing, are all of you coming to see us?"

Gibbs nodded, "We'll be there, Nate, as many as we can fit in the car. Let us know what might need fixing before we get there, I know the guys take care of things but you know, let us do something to help while we're home."

"Be happy to do that, Jethro, thanks."

Vance was beaming at them and Tim smiled back, it felt so good to see all of them and for this to be a happy occasion rather than the stress of last year and earlier this year. Forgetting they were still on screen, he turned, sending a look to Artie that made her blush.

In the UK, the kids smiled, they liked that their parents were happy with each other. Gibbs relaxed some more, pleased that Tim was so happy. Sarah and Rob were also pleased, Rob that his brother was so happy and Sarah also hoping this meant she'd finally have a sister.

In the US, Tim's family were thrilled to see him so happy after the events of the past. While Tony had a passing thought that he hoped Tim wasn't jumping in too soon, he dismissed it, Dad Gibbs would be watching and set him straight. Ellie was glad and a bit envious at her friend's obvious happiness. Jimmy and Breena were happy for Tim and also happy at the prospect of eventually having another married couple in the family. And with children, even better! Ducky wanted to wrap his arms around all of them and contented himself with a reminder of how many days it would be until they were home for Christmas.

As happy as the guys were to see their friends and meet the new family, they were also happy because one of their own had found love. While Jose and his girlfriend were still dating and slowly getting more serious, none of them had yet made any lasting romantic commitments, with the hopeful exception of Tim. They just wished Geordie was there.

When Bill said that, Tim nodded. "I know, it's been so long and he's missing so much of our lives. But he's doing what he always wanted to do, just like the rest of us."

They nodded, none of them noticing the look Vance sent Gibbs. He couldn't do an eyebrow rub because he was sure Sarah, Rob and maybe Greg knew about that little code. Gibbs gave him a half smile and turned to see Ducky raise an eyebrow. He just smiled, glad Tony hadn't seen the exchange. DiNozzo was trying to memorize his family's faces and voices, he missed them more than ever now, after spending two weeks with them. He blinked, realizing he was near tears. Tim caught that and sent him a series of gestures and movements that told him he was also loved and missed and would be hugged without mercy when they got home. That made DiNozzo laugh and those who'd understood any part of the gestures, smiled.