Tony was parking the car in front of Gibbs' house. Then the trio soon got out of the car and headed inside. Senior seemed confused, but didn't say anything. Charity seemed extra excited. They found Gibbs setting at the table sipping coffee and looking over a case file.
"Hey, Daddy." Charity greeted, walking over and wrapping her arms around his neck.
Gibbs put his coffee and the case file down and hugged his daughter back and kissed her cheek. "Hey baby girl." Gibbs replied.
"Where's Pappy?" Charity asked, pulling back.
"In the kitchen." Gibbs answered. "Even though I'm sure you've already had breakfast, he insisted on making you pancakes."
Charity grinned. "It's tradition." She replied and then headed in the kitchen.
Senior looked between Gibbs and Tony, then he settled his gaze on Gibbs. "Charity is your daughter?" Senior asked.
Gibbs nodded. "Yup."
"I find that hard to believe." Senior replied. "She seems nothing like you."
Gibbs and Tony both chuckled. "She has her moments." Tony said.
Just then Charity and Jackson stepped out of the kitchen. Charity was carrying a stack of plates and Jackson was carrying a plate stacked high with pancakes. "What is with the pancakes?" Tony asked. "Not that I'm complaining."
Charity grinned. "Whenever I was little and I went to stay with Pappy or he would come and stay here, he made me pancakes." Charity answered, setting the plates down on the table. Just then there was a knock at the door.
"I'll go get it." Gibbs said, getting up.
Charity sat down next to Tony. "Well, what are you all waiting for? Dig in." Jackson said.
Charity grabbed a healthy stack of pancakes and placed them on her plate. Tony looked at her. "I don't think I've ever met a woman who could out eat me...until now anyways."
Charity grinned. "I love food." She replied. "Plus, it's not that often I get to eat Pappy's pancakes."
Just then Gibbs reentered the room. "We have one more guest." Gibbs announced.
Then Joanne entered the room. "You know I didn't come here to see any of the rest of you. Especially you Jethro." She said. "I came to see my darling granddaughter."
Charity sighed and held in a groan. Then she stood up and turned to her grandmother. "Hi, Grammy." Charity greeted her, having a hard time hiding her distaste.
Joanne was either oblivious to Charity's tone or she didn't care. She pulled Charity into a hug. "Oh, baby it's good to see you." She then pulled back and looked at Charity. She mentally took in and noted Charity's injuries. "Well, don't you look...just..."
"You really don't have to finish that sentance." Charity told her grandmother, knowing that she would say something about her needing to leave the Marines.
Joanne nodded and then she took a seat on the other side of where Charity was setting. Charity took her seat back and Tony reached under the table and gave Charity's knee a reassuring squeeze.
"It's good to see you again, Tony." Joanne noted. Then she turned to Charity. "Glad to see you've found a man who will stick around."
Charity had to bite her tounge. Then she sent up a silent prayer. Please let me make it through this without killing my grandmother? She begged, mentally.
Senior was setting across the table from Joanne. "Well, you are a lovely creature." He said, changing the subject. "How is it that I haven't run into you, yet?" He asked.
Joanne smiled at him. "I honestly don't know." She replied, extending her hand. "I'm Joanne Fielding, Charity's grandmother."
Senior took her hand and kissed the top of it. "It is a pleasure to meet you." Senior said. "I'm Anthony DiNozzo Senior, Tony's father."
"Oh, I should have known." Joanne replied. "Now I know where your son got his charm from."
Tony was setting in his chair, feeling completely mortified by his father hitting on Charity's grandmother. Of course, he noticed how Charity had visibly relaxed next to him, the subject having been changed, if only briefly. So, Tony couldn't really get too upset with his dad.
The group sat there eating insilence for a while, Senior and Joanne eyeing each other for a while. Then Joanne had to break the calm that had settled over the room. "So, Tony, when do you plan on making an honest woman of my granddaughter?"
Charity about choked on her pancake, hating that Joanne had asked Tony that question. Tony was able to remain completely calm. Truth was, he had actually been planning on popping the question when Charity returned, of course his plans changed slightly when Charity popped up yesterday.
Tony had spoken with Gibbs about it a couple of weeks before.
Flashback...
Tony and Gibbs were in the elevator on their way to autopsy. Gibbs had been able to tell that something was bothering Tony. He pushed the button and the elevator stopped moving. "What is it, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.
Tony had been rehearsing what to say over and over, but the words had escaped him. So, feeling nervous he just blurted it out. "When Charity gets back, I'm going to ask her to marry me."
"I see." Gibbs said. "And you're saying something to me because?"
"I feel like I should ask for your blessing." Tony answered honestly. "Out of respect for you."
"I knew the moment you two started getting to know each other that she was gone." Gibbs said. "You make her happy. Happier than I've seen her in years. I give you my blessing, DiNozzo."
Present...
Yesterday, when Tony and Senior had been out for lunch, Tony had asked his dad for his mother's engagement ring. Senior had happily agreed. He had brought it to Tony that morning, but Tony still needed to get the ring sized and he wasn't sure how Charity felt. He wanted to get a feel for her thoughts on marriage, but he wasn't sure how to ask.
"Well, we haven't really talked about that yet." Tony answered Joanne.
Joanne nodded. Then she leaned in close to Charity. "You gave it away free, didn't you baby? I told you to get the ring before you give it up."
Charity had to bite her tounge even harder. Of course, of she bit any harder, she was going to bite her tounge off.
"Yup." Joanne muttered and then pulled back and looked at Tony again. "Well, if you're not going to marry my little pumpkin, are you at least going to help make me a great grandma?"
"We haven't talked about kids either." Tony answered, still remaining calm.
"I see." Joanne said.
The rest of the morning was spent in uncomfortable silence. Senior had suggested that he wanted to do some sight-seeing and Joanne decided that she would take him. As they were leaving, Charity hugged Senior and whispered in his ear. "Thank you."
Senior kissed her cheek. "Think nothing of it." He whispered back.
Tony and Charity stayed a little while longer and then headed out to the park. They were setting at a picnic table, Tony's arm around Charity, holding her close. "I feel like I should give your dad one of my medals or something." Charity told Tony.
Tony chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure he's probably enjoying himself. I think he was genuinely intersted in your grandmother."
"That would be odd." Charity replied. "Then it would be like we were related."
"Speaking of your grandmother, what do you think about what she was asking?"
"What do you mean?" Charity asked.
"About us...and getting married...and all that." Tony clarified.
"Oh." Charity replied. Truth was, when she was overseas, all she could think about was Tony and a future with him. She just wasn't sure how to answer. "What are your thoughts on it?" She asked, unsure of what else to say. She was afraid to scare Tony off if she told him about how she fantasized about marrying him and dreamed about it.
"Well..." Tony began, but wasn't sure where to go from there. Then he just decided that he wasn't going to waste any time. "Instead of telling you how I feel about marriage, I could just show you."
"What do you mean?" Charity asked.
Tony stood for a moment and reached into his pocket. Then he got down on one knee in front of Charity. "Charity Faith Gibbs, would you do me the honor of being my wife?"
Charity's eyes widened. She gasped. "I...I don't know what to say."
"Yes, would be nice." Tony replied.
Charity grinned at him. "You know, instead of just telling you my answer, I could just show you." She put her hands on either side of his face and pulled him close for a kiss.
When they broke the kiss, Tony looked at Charity. "I'm not sure what that means. That could go either way." He replied with a grin.
"Yes Tony. Yes I will marry you." She replied.
Tony plucked the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger and it fit perfectly. "What do you know, I don't need to have it sized."