Tim was glad to be finally sitting down. It had been a long day and Eva had been fussy and crying for most of the afternoon which meant that neither he nor Tony had managed to even sit down. Of course the fear that Senior would show up on his doorstep didn't help either. He'd just started to relax when someone knocked on Gibbs' door. He and Tony exchanged glances and they both knew instantly who it was going to be. Sure enough, he recognized the voice talking to Gibbs.

Well, you're a surprise.

It's Thanksgiving, I knew my son would be here. Are you going to invite me in?

There was a slight hesitation and knowing that Gibbs wasn't thrilled by their guest felt pretty damned good, he had to admit even as he knew they couldn't exactly turn the man away.

Sure, we're just sitting down to dinner Come on in, Anthony.

Gibbs' voice was louder at the end, as if he was giving warning. Tim took a deep breath in preparation and saw Tony doing the same.

"Hey, Dad, glad you could make it." Tony stood and stiffly gave his father a hug. Senior clapped him on the back, already studying Eva.

"So, this is my granddaughter? She's awfully little, you sure you're feeding her enough?"

Tim didn't realize how tightly he was holding onto his fork until Abby subtly reached over and rubbed across his knuckles. He was grateful for the support and even more glad that Tony wasn't rolling over for the old man.

"She was premature, Dad, she's going to be smaller than other kids her own age for quite a while. She also has a heart condition and probably cerebral palsy."

Senior had a strange look on his face and he sat at the table without making any attempt to interact with Eva. "I see. Well, we should probably wait and discuss the details when we're alone, Junior."

"Why? Everyone here knows all about it."

"It's Thanksgiving and Jethro worked hard on this meal."

Gibbs gave a snort and shook his head. "Don't look at me, all I did was set the table."

Senior looked completely out of his element which gave Tim a perverse amount of pleasure even if he'd never tell another living soul. Finally he sat down and Ellie, who had been up getting another bowl of soup, took pity on him and brought a bowl for him while Jake passed over the basket of bread.

"Here you go, Mr. DiNozzo. Tony made the soup and Tim made all the bread." Senior didn't win any brownie points by immediately dropping the slice of bread he'd already had in his hand.

With the arrival of Senior the conversation became stilted as people concentrated on eating. When Eva started fussing again, Tony and Tim passed her back and forth, keeping her entertained and allowing each of them time to eat and nobody mentioned the fact that Tim had prepared the turkey until Senior had eaten several servings and raved about it repeatedly.

At the end of the meal, Senior invited himself home with Tony and Tim. Gibbs gave Tim a questioning look, but he just shrugged in return. Honestly, what else could he do? They'd all seen Tony try over and over again with his old man. It never seemed to work, but he had to give Tony props for the effort. One way or another, it was Tony's call to make so Tim said his good-nights and slipped off to his room as soon as they got in.

-NCIS-

"Not much of a host, is he?"

Tony really didn't want to be doing this. He'd much rather spend the evening with Tim, laughing about Gibbs new obsession with soup and bread. "I thought you were my guest, Dad, not his. Wasn't this what you wanted? To talk to me in private?"

Senior shook his head and stared at Eva as Tony swayed with her. "Just how damaged is she?"

Tony felt himself tense up and forced a calm he wasn't really feeling. "I don't consider her damaged, Dad. She has challenges and we're going to do everything possible to help her beat them."

"We? As in you and McGee? He's not family, Junior. What's he getting out of this?"

"Not everything in life is a business deal, Dad. He's my best friend and he's been here with me every step of the way."

"Yes, friend, not family. Come back to New York with me, Junior. We'll find her a good doctor and caretakers there."

Tony didn't like the word caretaker. Sure, he had help, lots of help, but he was Eva's primary caretaker – he and Tim – but he was in no mood to argue with his father. "Can't, the job's here. It's getting late, Dad, and I need to put Eva to bed, so why don't I show you where the guest room is?"

They'd come in through the back and had only made it as far as the family room, so Senior hadn't seen much of the house yet. Tony watched him closely, getting more annoyed as Senior took in every detail of the updated rooms.

"Your friend hired quite a nice designer."

"Actually, Tim designed almost everything himself, did practically all the work himself, too."

"Really?"

It was more disgust than impressed that he heard in his father's voice and Tony remembered the attitude Senior had with male designers, always alluding to their sexual preferences behind their back. When they walked into Eva's room, Tony had to poke at the bear just a bit. "Well, except for in here. I designed this room."

"I see."

He'd had enough practice that it didn't take long to get Eva into a clean diaper and a warm sleeper before picking her up again. "Come on, sweetheart, let's show grandpa where his room is, then we'll get you a bottle."

They walked past the bathroom and down to the extra bedroom where they'd shoved Tony's old bedroom furniture and done little else. Senior recognized the furniture. "This is your room."

"No, this is my old furniture. I have the bedroom across the hall from my daughter. Good night, Dad." Tony wasn't all that surprised when his father just dropped his suitcase onto the bed and followed him back out. Ignoring him for the moment, Tony carried Eva into his bedroom. The small refrigerator that once held water and juice when he was recovering now held Eva's nighttime bottles, made before they'd left for dinner. Feeling his father behind him, Tony retrieved a bottle and put it in the warmer.

"So, ol' Timmy decorated a bedroom just for you? How nice of him."

For the first time Tony wished he'd put a microwave up here to heat bottles quicker. "Actually, Dad, he was planning on this guest room for his sister, but she canceled her visit just a few days before Ziva dumped me and took off. I was an absolute mess, my condo was all shot up, and he just brought me here and tucked me into that bed. He made sure that my head was on straight, let me stay here as long and as often as I wanted." He gave his father a hard look as the warmer beeped. "I've never had a friend like Tim and I really hope to God that he can say the same thing about me."

Tony returned to Eva's room and settled in the chair to feed her. He heard his father moving around out in the hallway before he finally came in. Eva was winding down, so Tony stayed quiet. Eventually Senior came over and stood next to him, watching her.

"Other than her coloring, I don't see much of Ziva in her. She looks a little like your mother."

"Yeah, I know." He waited for his father to say something else, but he just left the room. Sighing, Tony wondered if he'd ever understand the man. To be honest, part of him hoped that he didn't because understanding was the first step to becoming.

-NCIS-

It was no surprise when a taxi was parked in the driveway first thing Friday morning. "You're leaving already?"

"Yes, well, business deal, you know."

Tony did know, but it still didn't feel right. "It's a holiday weekend, we could have driven you to the airport."

"It's all right, son. Besides, McGee left almost an hour ago."

"He did?" Tony glanced over and sure enough, the keys that Tim had to Gibbs' truck were gone. "Hmm, must be going to do some early shopping for Eva's Christmas presents if he took the truck." Even as he said it, it didn't sound right. McGee was much more likely to be shopping online deals rather than fighting the crowds somewhere.

The taxi driver honked and Senior picked up his suitcase. "The offer to come to New York still stands, Junior. You could be making a lot more money in the private sector."

"I do all right, Dad. Well, your cab is waiting, but don't be a stranger, okay?"

It was an awkward goodbye, but Tony was actually quite relieved when his father's taxi pulled out of the driveway. He looked down at his daughter. "One of these days, we're going to have to talk Uncle Timmy into telling us what happened while Daddy was in the hospital."

-NCIS-

The kids' Christmas presents had been ordered weeks ago, so after one look at the mall parking lot, Vance had headed into the office. If he could get the year end assessments ready to go, then he and the kids might be able to sneak off for a weekend ski trip like Kayla had been hinting. There was just a skeleton staff at the Yard today, but what he did not expect was to see anyone from Gibbs' team there.

Detouring, Vance circled around to stop at McGee's desk. "Just because your team is on call, Agent McGee, doesn't mean you have to sit here and wait for a case." From this angle he could see that McGee was actually online, ordering baby toys on a black Friday special even though several cold case files were on his desk.

Order placed, Tim minimized the screen and leaned back. "Tony has company, so I wanted to give them some family time, you know?"

"Family?" There was only one possibility and Vance groaned. "Senior's in town."

"Showed up at dinner last night."

"And he's staying at your place."

"Couldn't exactly say no."

Vance would have, but that was one of the difference between the two men. "Well, don't work too hard, Agent McGee." He received a smile in return.

"No, Sir." McGee pointed to the countdown running in the bottom corner of his computer screen. "New sales on the top of every hour. Ten minutes of shopping, fifty minutes of paperwork."

They all hated paperwork and Vance gave a laugh as he moved toward the stairs. "I may have to try that."

-NCIS-

"All right, Mr. Gibbs, here you go."

Gibbs grinned and took the new keys. He'd traded in his old truck for one that was a few years newer, but even better was the fact that it had a crew cab – a second seat for his newly extended family. They'd closed a hard case the night before, just in time for the weekend, the first full weekend of December, and he knew exactly how the four of them were going to spend the day. "Thanks, appreciate you coming in so early to do this."

Dropping his tools in the bed of the truck and securing the extra base for the car seat, Gibbs headed back toward his neighborhood.

-NCIS-

"Well, somebody is bright eyed and bushy-tailed this morning." Scratching at his uncombed hair, Tony yawned and stumbled into his daughter's room. She squealed and kicked, waving her arms as he reached down to pick her up. Her movement was still very uncoordinated and jerky, but at least she was moving. Luckily, diaper changes were pretty automatic and she was just wet, not dirty. Diaper changed, he snapped her back into her sleeper. They'd learned to not get her all cleaned up until after breakfast. "Okay, let's go see if Uncle Tim has your bottle ready."

Downstairs, Tim looked even more tired as he fumbled with the various parts of the bottle assembly. Tony grinned as he bounced Eva slightly on his hip. "Uncle Timmy isn't a real morning person, Eva." Uncle Timmy was, however, able to subtly give him the bird without dropping the partially assembled bottle.

-NCIS-

Tony was still laughing when a key rattled in the front door, then Gibbs came stomping in. "You sleepyheads up?"

"Of course. We've got our living alarm clock so there's no such thing as sleeping in anymore. Why'd you come through the front? The snow's not that deep."

Gibbs just grinned at them before tossing his coat and gloves on the breakfast table. "I parked out front. It's a perfect day to go chop down a Christmas tree."

Tony stared at him blankly before looking at McGee. "Did he say 'chop'?"

"I did." Gibbs took Eva from Tony and the bottle from Tim. "Time to start making some new family traditions and we're going to start with the tree. No more artificial crap and not some designer shaped tree either. We're going to go get a real tree for Eva's first Christmas. Now, unless you boys plan on traipsing through the countryside in your boxers, I suggest you go get dressed."

Pronouncement made, Gibbs sat down with Eva and her bottle while Tony and Tim looked at each other and shrugged before retreating to their respective bedrooms to dress.

Finally alone with his granddaughter, Gibbs let a real smile shine through. "Your daddy and your uncle never had any good family memories and they certainly never had decent family traditions to hand down, so we're going to start some new ones this year."

McGee was the first one back in, dressed and looking a little more awake just as Eva was finishing her bottle. "You guys got everything to make some more of that soup and bread when we get home?"

"Do you one better than that." Tim walked over to the refrigerator and took out a large plastic container from the freezer. "Just have to let it thaw, and we always have bread dough in the fridge."

Gibbs gave an approving nod before handing Eva to Tim. "You start getting her ready, I'll start the coffee." As much as he loved the coffee from McGee's fancy machine, this was a day for the traditional coffeemaker so they could have a full thermos.

Tony was coming out of his room just as McGee was coming up the stairs with Eva. Between the two of them, they quickly had her cleaned up and changed into a snowsuit and the diaper bag fully stocked before the coffee was done. Gibbs looked up from the eggs he was scrambling as they came back downstairs. "You boys are getting pretty good at that."

"Did you get a new truck?" Through the window, Tim could just see the corner of the truck when they came downstairs, but it didn't look quite the same. A quick check of the table in the entryway showed that Tim's keys to the old truck were gone. How he'd missed Gibbs taking them, he'd never know. More of what Abby called 'magic', he supposed.

Gibbs divided the eggs between the plates. "Can't have the four of us squeezed in a regular cab and that little hybrid of yours isn't really designed for off-road driving. Besides, we're going fishing next spring, right?"

Tony took two of the plates and set them at the breakfast bar since coats and the diaper bag were piled on the table. Without asking, he added a touch of salt to McGee's eggs with a heavier dash of pepper, while his food got a healthier shake of each. "What are we going to do if she turns out to be a girlie-girl that doesn't want to touch a worm?"

"Even girlie-girls need to learn survival skills." Gibbs joined them at the counter. Breakfast was quick and efficient as Tony and Tim passed Eva back and forth, keeping her busy and allowing them to eat. All in all, Gibbs was very pleased with how quickly they managed to get out the door.

The air was crisp and cold as they set out on the road, McGee up front with Gibbs and Tony in the back seat next to Eva. One of the first things Tim noticed was that this truck was actually much newer than what Gibbs had driven before and somewhere along the way a previous owner had upgraded the music system, allowing him to plug his phone into the system and a few minutes later Pandora was cranking out Christmas music. Both the boys held their breath, waiting to see how Gibbs would react, but he just nodded. By the time they were off the main roads, Eva was bouncing and squealing to the music and the adults were humming.

By the time they arrived at the ranger station, it had just opened. Gibbs had already purchased the cutting permit, so they just gave the men a map showing the permitted areas and sent them on their way. Gibbs drove another ten miles before turning onto a tiny side road. Nothing about the spot stuck out on the map Tim was studying.

"How'd you pick this spot, Boss?"

Gibbs backed into a spot between several large trees and killed the engine. "If I was stateside, this is where we always brought Kelly to pick out a tree."

"Traditions." It was just a murmur, coming from both front and back seats, and Gibbs nodded. Nothing more was said as they climbed out of the truck. Since Tony already had Eva, Tim slipped the baby pack on and then Tony and Tim together wrestled her into the pack and strapped her in.

They were both slightly winded and Gibbs smirked at them. "She's getting more active already."

"Yeah, and most of the time, that's a good thing." Tony grinned at the sight of his little girl strapped to McGee's chest. "It's actually gotten better now that she has enough control over her neck to be facing out."

"Yes, because much like her father, she needs to see everything that's going on. After all, that's what puts the 'nozzi' in DiNozzo." Judging from the tongue Tony stuck out at his partner, it was a familiar joke between the two of them, but it was the first time Gibbs had heard it and it made him laugh before he shook his head.

"Okay, you three, let's go find a tree."

Just past the trees they were parked under was an open meadow, filled with about six inches of untouched snow, and past that was a field of evergreens in every shape and size.

"Remember, we don't cut down the first tree we see."

"Yes, Dad." The sing-song chorus of the two voices made Gibbs grin once again as they stepped away from the tree they'd both just pointed out. However, several hours later, after looking at every tree within carrying distance of the truck, they were the ones laughing as that first tree ended up being the one chosen.

"Funny. Very funny, you two." Gibbs sawed while Tony held the top of the tree and McGee took pictures. Since they were only about twenty feet from the truck, it was an easy carry and the tree was dropped into the bed of the truck.

Eva had been grunting while all that was going on, so now Tim was unbuckling the straps. "You're making my eyes water, little lady."

Gibbs watched the process, noticing that McGee's gloves weren't all that thick, and neither were DiNozzo, which meant he probably had the warmest hands of the bunch. "Let me change her, your fingers are going to feel like icicles."

Closing the door behind them, Gibbs fired up the engine to get the heater going before he started the process of getting Eva out of her little snowsuit. Once he had her changed and back in her clothes, Tony and Tim were throwing snowballs at each other. Instead of getting out, he found a bottle in the diaper bag and started feeding her as he watched them. "See that, sweetheart? Your daddy and your uncle are good for each other. I'm kinda glad you're the only woman in their lives right now."

-NCIS-

Panting, both men finally stopped to catch their breath. "Man, I haven't done that in years." McGee nodded without saying anything as he grinned at their audience, which made Tony turn around and look. Gibbs was holding Eva up so that she could see out the back window. "Hey, there's our girl. Look at her, she's watching us."

"She sure is."

Snowball fight finished, they moved to the truck. It took a few minutes to shuffle around and get Eva back in her car seat and no one complained when McGee tied the used diaper into a bag and set it in the bed of the truck until they'd get somewhere with a garbage.

Just as they got back into civilization was a small cafe that had been there for years. He and his girls had always stopped there on their way back, so it was automatic that Gibbs pulled in there now. After taking turns in the restroom, they found a booth and ordered lunch, with Gibbs adding three hot chocolates to the order before he tickled Eva's foot. "In a couple of years, you'll be old enough to have one, too."

Hot chocolates arrived and Tony scooped up a tiny bit of the whipped cream with his finger and let Eva suck on the sweet treat. "Oh, yeah, you're going to like that, aren't you?"

The waitress arrived back with their food as Eva was gnawing on her daddy's finger. "Oh, she's so cute. What is she, about four, five months old?"

It was a common misconception, between Eva's small size and her developmental delays. Strangers and casual acquaintances didn't look past the slightly spastic movements and see the sparks of intelligence that the family were seeing more and more.

"Little older, actually. She was a preemie, but she's catching up."

-NCIS-

"Where's the tree going to go, living room or family room?" Gibbs had asked a darn good question, so Tony looked to McGee for the answer.

"Family room, that's where we spend the most time. I'll go grab the stand."

Tony nodded at that. The living room was formal and elegant and while the two men often spent evenings in there reading and quietly talking, when everyone was together, it was in the larger, less formal room that was used. While they waited for McGee, Tony looked around. It had been logic that dictated his move, but they had created a warm, happy home for Eva, something he'd always be grateful for.

Tim came back down with not just the stand, but an entire box plus a blanket tucked under his arm. Tony took the blanket and spread it out on the floor for Eva, far enough away from the action that she'd be safe, but close enough that she could see everything.

"Okay, is it straight?"

Tony looked carefully. "Little to the left. Nope, that's too much."

"How about now?"

"Little more, there."

Once Gibbs and McGee had the left to right set they moved on to forward and back so Tony had to move to spot them, but he immediately realized the problem. "Why am I the one making the decisions when it's McGee that'll be tweaking out if it's crooked?"

McGee's slightly OCD tendencies were an ongoing joke between the three of them, but Gibbs realized that he had a point. "Get up here, DiNozzo, and let McGee supervise."

"Should I get my laser level?"

"No."

"Absolutely not."

Even without the laser, it took almost twenty minutes before the tree was perfectly straight in McGee's opinion, but finally he called it good. Tony jumped to his feet. "I'll get some water in the reservoir."

"Bump that tree and I will kill you, DiNozzo."

"You hear that, Eva? Grandpa is threatening Daddy." Just in case, he was very careful adding the water. No point in risking it, or having to go through all that work again. Finished, he took Eva upstairs for a diaper, then fixed her bottle.

McGee got the bread dough prepared and resting while Gibbs untangled and tested the lights. Eva was finished with her bottle so Tony put her in her bouncy chair on the floor where she could watch, then the three men looped the tree with the bright and festive lights. By then it was time to get the bread in the oven and Tony got the soup on the stove to slowly warm. It didn't take too long to get all the ornaments up and by the time they were done, the food was ready.

They ate sitting on the floor with Eva. She was fascinated with the lights and after they were done eating, Tony took her out to help her practice sitting up. She still needed to be held, but he could feel her muscles reacting as she sat there. "Yeah, you're trying to sit up like a big girl, aren't you, sweetheart?"

Tummy time was next, where she'd developed a little more control. Senior's disappointment in Eva's development was still fresh on the minds of all three men as they watched her shift around, finally managing to get her arms under her enough to raise her head up a little bit. Still fascinated with the lights and the brightly colored ornaments, she stared and squealed.

"She really is making progress."

Tony was glad to hear that Gibbs saw it, too. "Yeah, I think eventually she'll catch up with her milestones." She was obviously tiring and so he scooped her up and sat her on his lap.

Before she could fall asleep, Tim snapped a picture of father and daughter in front of the tree. "That's another tradition we're starting."

"Sounds good. Need to get pictures with Santa, too. This grandpa wants to have annual Santa pictures on the mantle. What do you think?"

Tony turned pensive. "I remember when my mom was alive. There'd be a whole row of pictures with Santa up on the mantle, every one of them in a silver frame."

"And after she was gone?"

That got a shrug. "I was getting a little old to sit on Santa's lap and the place was always decorated by the wife of the week or some designer he hired. Little Tony pictures kinda clashed with the designer look, you know?" Trying to lighten the mood, he turned to McGee. "What about you? Any chance that we're going to find any pictures of little Timmy on Santa's lap?"

"No, my dad didn't believe in doing stuff like that."

"He didn't want you and Sarah believing in Santa Clause?"

"Just me. Sarah got Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the whole package."

Up until now, Gibbs had been watching them and quietly listening. "He wanted you to be a miniature adult, not a child?"

"Well, I could tie my own tie before most other kids mastered tying their own shoes."

Now it was Tony's turn to stare at him. "How old?"

"Umm, I know I tied my own tie for my kindergarten school picture." He gave a shrug before he confessed the rest. "Probably tied it a dozen times before he was satisfied."

"Hell, McGee, even I only had clip on ties until I was twelve."

-NCIS-

After Gibbs went home and Eva was down for the night, Tim and Tony decorated the rest of the house. McGee didn't have a lot of decorations, but when combined with what Tony had brought with him, it was enough and the styles of the two men blended quite well. Finished, they turned off most of the overhead lights and enjoyed the tree with a bottle of beer.

"So what are we doing on the outside?"

"Maybe a wreath on the door? I'm not getting up there in the dark." Much like last year, they'd been hit with a heavy case load and shorter days, meaning they rarely were home before the sun had set. Gibbs had helped with the Halloween decorations, he and Tony handling the cobwebs on the chimney and the roof while Tim did the lower levels. Neither men had teased McGee about his fear of heights and now an idea was starting to form in Tony's head.

a/n - Just two chapters today since I worked the food truck grill for most of the day. See you guys tomorrow.