Gibbs studied the now totally remodeled house. For somebody who had to be taught to use a plunger in his probie days at NCIS. Tony had turned into one hell of a craftsmen. Gibbs had taught his boy well and he took pride in himself for that. Tony was a prime example of what a man should be when he first came to him. He just lacked certain skills. Skills that any able bodied adult should at least make an attempt to learn in Gibbs's opinion. So he took the boy under his wing and taught him how to operate tools and do basic home repairs. Once Tony got the hang of it he took off on his own. He had only been out of the hospital three months and he had totally transformed that house. Being surprisingly modest, Tony would say that they had transformed the house and that was true but Tony had gone above and beyond. Waking up early to get a head start on the work and working late into the night to finish things off. At first it had concerned Gibbs. Making him think that Tony was having nightmares and using the desire to complete his job as an excuse for his lack of sleep."

"It still needs a lot of work." Tony commented.

"Yeah but it's livable and really nice." Gibbs replied.

"It's not that great." Tony argued.

"Tony, this house is great and once it's fixed it is going to be amazing." Gibbs corrected.

"I guess you are right but only because you helped me with all the repairs." Tony replied.

"Yeah but you did most of the work." Gibbs added.

"Are you sure that it is safe for JJ to stay in here?" Tony asked.

"Yes, so long as you take him over to my place whenever you are doing any repairs." Gibbs replied.

"Well that goes without saying." Tony replied.

Gibbs felt a strong sense of relief. Both of his boys were doing great. Tony was home from the hospital and helping him with his business and Liam had started sixth grade and was a star pupil. Yes both boys had come a long way from their emotional crisis's and battles with depression. He wished that he could take credit for that but it was all thanks to Dr. Moore and the team of psychologists that Tony had worked with during his stint at the hospital.

"Did you do your homework?" Gibbs asked, Liam.

"Yes dad" Liam replied.

"May I look it over?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, here you go." Liam replied handing Gibbs a stack of papers.

"Very good, don't go getting smarter than me." Gibbs laughed.

"Don't most parents want their kids to do better than they did?" Liam asked.

"Don't worry, I really do want you to do better than me. I was just joking." Gibbs assured.

"Oh so the open house is next Thursday from six until eight thirty." Liam explained.

"I will be there." Gibbs vowed.

"Yeah I am going too." Liam replied.

"You are? It's going to be pretty boring." Gibbs asked.

"Yeah I know but they are having an ice-cream social and preview of the fall book-fair for any students who attend." Liam explained.

"I am proud of you son." Gibbs replied kissing Liam on the forehead.

Tony walked down the street, pushing JJ in his stroller. He felt terrible for missing so much of his son's infant-hood. Bad enough the boy had lost his biological parents but then his adoptive father had to have a breakdown and spent months in the hospital. It was fall now and Stillwater was preparing for Halloween which was apparently a big deal in the small town. He was now almost a year post his first hospitalization. Between the incident in the bar and Senior's abuse and the ensuing psychological break-down. He had spent most of the past year in the hospital and now that he was out. He intended to stay out. He just hoped that his crappy lungs would agree to that deal. So far they were staying strong but he always worried when winter started to come around. He always took longer to fight off colds and flues since having the plague and pneumonia was always a real risk but Dr. Pitt was only two hours away and he had trained the physicians in Stillwater and at Columbia County General on how to handle any crisis's that may pop up as a result of his plague scarred lungs. Of course his lungs probably feared the wrath of Gibbs as much as the rest of him did. He adored his dad but he sure had a way of making things go just how he wanted. He took in a deep breath of the crisp fall air and turned into the Stillwater General Store. Upon entry he saw a familiar face standing at the counter talking to the cashier.

"Katie?" Tony called.

"Tony!" Katie cried.

"How are you?" Tony asked.

"Good, really good. How are you?" Katie replied.

"Pretty good now." Tony replied.

"McGee told me about your breakdown. I am so glad that you are doing better." Katie replied.

"Me too, I am grateful to Gibbs for not giving up on me." Tony replied.

"He really does love you. He did even before he knew that you were his son." Katie replied.

"He's a good guy. So what brings you to Stillwater?" Tony asked.

"I am the new town attorney." Katie replied.

"Really?" Tony asked.

"Yeah I well I needed a change. I left NCIS right after I was stabbed and went back to my uncle's firm but I realized I really was unhappy there. So I started looking for lawyer positions. I actually took one out in Baltimore but my boss was a sexist pig and Tyler was being bullied at his new school. So when I saw that they needed a lawyer here and I knew that you lived out here. I jumped on the offer. It's not as much money as NCIS or the big firm I was at but at least I have respect and I can trust that if Tyler is bullied something will be done." Katie explained.

"Well I am glad you came somewhere where you are respected. Where is Tyler?" Tony asked.

"He is staying with my uncle until I can find a place out here." Katie replied.

"Where are you staying?" Tony asked.

"Couch in my office." Katie replied.

"Not anymore. You are staying with me. I have a four bedroom house and it's easier to keep JJ in with me. So you and Tyler could each have a room and there would still be one to spare." Tony explained.

"Are you sure?" Katie asked.

"Yes" Tony replied.

"Thank you so much Tony. I mean I have only been here a week and a half but I have missed my boy so much." Katie explained.

"Well families need to stick together." Tony replied.

A/N: I have decided to conclude this story after chapter fifty. So three more to go. New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.