Chapter 52

Jethro and Shannon enjoyed the warmth of Florida so much they stayed four weeks instead of the planned two with her weekly probation meeting and appointments with her psychologist completed through Skype.

They flew home on a Saturday, not telling anyone. As much as they'd enjoyed the time away, they were anxious to see their children and grandchildren and if everything went well, had some news to share. Taking a cab to the house, they had the driver turn into the back alley and drop them at their back gate. The house was empty. They knew Sarah was away on a book promotion and Kelly, Rob and Geordie were working.

Once everything was inside, Jethro sent a text to Tim, asking if he had a few minutes to talk.

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Tim smiled at the text from his father. He had a good idea what the topic would be. If he was right, he was ready, happy and a little relieved, wondering if he'd have to raise the subject himself.

He answered and then told the kids their 'horsie' was tired. They'd been playing all morning, although he'd only been horsie for a few minutes. He wasn't willing to risk his back more than that. Brynie slid off his back, patting his head. "You're a good horsie!"

Ty nodded, "Thank you Daddy horsie!"

He laughed when they offered him an apple. The kids went down to the playroom while he got comfortable in the recliner, waiting for Dad to call. Looking at his watch, he wondered how much longer Ellie would be. It was her week for grocery shopping but she was meeting Maggie for coffee before she hit the stores.

He'd no sooner sat down then he heard a key in the lock. Wondering why Ellie was coming in the front door instead of the garage, his face lit up when his father entered.

"Dad!"

"Hey Son!"

Jethro wrapped his arms around his boy and Tim returned the embrace, holding on tight.

"Great surprise, when did you get in? Where's Mom?"

"Just got here and she's still at the house. Aw, missed you, Elf Lord. How are you, Ellie and the littles?"

"We're good, Daddy. Missed you lots. Haven't been apart this long since you sent me to Canada. Let me see your tan." Tim pulled back and grinned at his dad's face. "Not warm enough to sunbathe?"

"Not quite. Warmer than here but not enough for sunbathing or swimming in the ocean. We did swim, in an indoor pool."

They pulled apart and by unspoken agreement headed for the coffeepot. Fortified with large mugs of their favorite hot beverage they returned to the living room, both keeping their ears open for the kids in the playroom.

"Kiddo, have a question for you. Not expecting an answer now, take your time and think about it."

"Yes."

"Huh? You agreeing to what I said? I haven't asked you anything yet."

"You're going to ask if I'm ready for Mom to move home, right?" Tim gave his father a cocky grin, "Who taught me to anticipate?"

"Good point. Are you absolutely sure, Timson?"

"Yes, Dad. I am absolutely sure and looking forward to having her close by. Thank you. Thank you for asking, thank you for all your support and patience, it's been wonderful and it's really helped in the healing process. I know it's been a long haul. What you've done for me, Dad…"

Tim choked up and with tears in his own eyes Jethro pulled him close again. "Want you to listen to me."

He felt a nod and continued, "What I did is what you should have always had. It's what you give your own children, Tim. Doesn't matter to me how old you are and won't matter to you when your babies are grown. Your child is your child. Forever. This is what you should have had from McGee. Unconditional love and support. You're my son, always going to be my son, my Timson, my Timiny, my Elf Lord. Always. And I'm always going to be your father. When you're 100 and I'm 119, it'll still be true. Got that?" He felt a chuckle and relaxed.

"Thank you for your big generous heart, Timomine. For being willing to work with Shannon. And thank you for being so considerate of me. Yeah, I know you two have worked hard not to put me in the middle and I'm sure that's been difficult."

They heard little footsteps on the stairs and Tim wiped his face on his father's shirt. Ty poked his head out, "Daddy? Poppy! Brynie, Poppy's here!"

Two little whirlwinds flew across the room, ending up in Poppy's arms with their father. As they were greeting each other, Brynie touched her daddy. "Daddy, what's wrong?"

"I missed my daddy, Brynie. I'm so glad he's home!"

His kids climbed right into his arms, hugging and kissing him, keeping Poppy close too. Eventually the four of them pulled apart and walked down the street to greet Nonny too.

Shannon smiled as her husband, son and grandchildren walked in the door. Tim looked at her with a shy smile and went right to her murmuring, "Welcome home, Mom."

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They announced that Shannon was moving in with their father and the kids were welcome to stay in her cottage for the rest of her lease. Sarah took her up on it and the family spent a weekend moving Mom in with Dad and then moving Sarah into the cottage.

Two weeks later, Tim and Ellie packed for their delayed honeymoon in Hawai'i. They flew to Kaua'i on a Saturday, leaving the children in the capable hands of Poppy and Nonny and the helpful hands of several aunties and uncles.

Staying in a condominium on Poipu beach, the couple had a wonderful time. Exhausted the first couple of days, they spent a lot of time napping on the beach. Once they were over the jet lag, they drove their rental car as far around the island as the roads went. Driving to the north end one day, they were amused at the many one-lane bridges and applauded the courtesy drivers displayed waiting for cars to cross before taking their turn.

They loved Hanalei Bay and town, having a coffee there and watching the kids jump off the pier, taking a dip in the ocean themselves. From there they drove to a ranch where they had reservations for a 3-hour private tour on horseback. They rode across beautifully lush green meadows into the forests. Riding off trail, they experienced even more of the beauty and enjoyed the flora and fauna along the way. Leaving the horses, they hiked up a steep and blessedly short trail to a breathtaking waterfall. There they picnicked and swam until it was time to return.

That evening they went to a luau, thoroughly enjoying the show. They spent the next morning on the beach and then drove a few miles to join a Movie Tour. That was a lot of fun and they learned interesting tidbits about some of their favorite movies, seeing the beautiful bays, beaches and canyons where they were filmed. The tour lasted several hours and included lunch at a bar and grill in the town of Kapaa. After doing a little souvenir shopping, they returned to Poipu where they had a late afternoon windsurfing class. Tim was excited; he would have never been able to do any water sports before he found the combination of ginger and sea bands to counteract his seasickness.

Over the next two weeks, they had many wonderful adventures with plenty of time for sunbathing on the beach, windsurfing and swimming in the ocean. While Tim was not interested in traversing a zip line, he and Ellie had a wonderful time kayaking on the Wailua River. They'd planned to take the Na Pali Coast kayak tour but those were held from April to October, they were too early. With Tim again employing his sea bands and ginger, the couple took a helicopter tour of the island that included Waimea Canyon, the coast and many other beautiful features of Kauai.

Never forgetting they were on their honeymoon, they left plenty of private time on their schedule. The condominium boasted a private hot tub and they made good use of it.

All too soon, the tanned and happy honeymooners packed to return home, laden with gifts and hoping to return someday. They'd certainly miss the beaches, beautiful canyons and waterfalls, friendly people, great restaurants, and all the activities. On the flight home, Tim reflected that it was a good thing this was a long trip; it gave him time to ponder on the wonderful times and start thinking about children, family and the wonderful times waiting for them at home.

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While they were gone, spring made sporadic visits to the mid-Atlantic. As the newlyweds settled into their lives, the weather warmed up in Virginia and heated up in Florida. Mac returned and the long postponed party for extended family and friends was given a date, plans were made and invitations sent out.

Tim, Shannon and Tony sat down to plan the food, as they'd be the cooks. More than 6 months after Shannon and Kelly's return, mother and son now had a solid relationship built on trust, faith and love. As their relationship had grown, so had the relationships of Tim's siblings with their new mother. They were glad they'd waited to have this party as it would have more meaning now – and be more fun.

The party was scheduled for a Sunday so the cooks and decorators would have Saturday to prepare whatever could be done ahead of time.

Shannon thought it sad that out of all these new adult children of hers and Jethro's, only two liked to cook. Hoping her grandchildren would feel differently, she said as much to Tim and Tony and then laughed when Tony paled.

Tim nudged him, "Don't worry, Tony, she's got two babies, she's probably expecting more from the girls than us."

Tony had to admit that even months after the return, it still felt very strange to consider the legendary Shannon his surrogate mother. As she'd connected with each of Jethro's kids, she made it clear she considered herself as much his or her parent as Jethro. Tony was happy about it, felt wonderful to have someone claim him as their own but it was still strange.

The Friday before the party, Jerry and Barbara Bishop arrived and Geordie and Sarah picked up Grandpa. He'd stay with his daughter and son-in-law so the Bishops could spend a little more time with the grandkids, Ellie and Tim. There was an impromptu family dinner that evening as Jethro and Jerry grilled burgers and hot dogs for the clan. The Bishops were happy to finally meet Kelly and Shannon in person after a number of Skype calls and to see for themselves that Tim really was doing fine with his mother. They'd been horrified to hear what happened and had been as supportive as they could be long distance. Barbara kept in close touch with Tim, wanting to give him the support of the only other mother he'd known while he and Shannon worked things out. It was a little bit of a tightrope for her as she didn't want to intrude but did want to support her son-in-law.

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Jethro didn't tell Tim right away but Saturday afternoon while the cooks were busy at Tim and Ellie's, he had a call from Tobias. The family had been relieved to hear he and Emily would be attending the party; after months of silence, they'd been starting to worry.

"Hey, Jethro, Diane's flying in tomorrow morning, all right if Emily and I bring her along?"

Seeing no way out, he agreed. What else could he do? Even if he told Tobias who else would be there, i.e., his long dead wife and daughter, Diane would still show up. Especially then!

Sunday was clear and bright and the forecast was for a high of 78. The soiree was at Tim and Ellie's because of the playroom, giving both kids and adults the possibility of extra space. With the weather in the 70s, the children would play outside although the pool had not yet made its debut for the warm season. They'd need the space for their guests today anyway.

At Tim and Ellie's, the 8 of them, Kelly, Mac and the Bishops included, were busy getting ready. With 37 people attending, lunch would be served buffet style; benches and chairs were rounded up, borrowed from Dad and a few neighbors. They'd decided to use disposable plates, cups, napkins and cutlery.

For food, Tim made several pans of chicken enchiladas using Steve Ortiz's wife Pam's recipe. Not everyone liked or could tolerate as much spice and fire as the recipe called for so there were different pans, each carefully marked, with varying amounts of heat. Tony made sopapillas while Mom made black beans and fresh salsa. Maggie was bringing ripe avocados to make fresh guacamole, and sour cream; the Palmers were bringing chips and a 5-layer bean dip. Ducky was bringing fresh vegetables for salad and liters of lemonade and soda, Abby, Sarah and Rob were bringing desserts and Mac chipped in to help pay for the food. The Vances were bringing more beverages, including beer; Tobias was bringing sweet corn tamalitos and Bob Chalmers was bringing Spanish rice.

Evan Fuller, Tony's SFA, and his family had also been invited but already had plans. They really weren't part of the extended family but Tony felt that with three-fourths of his team at the party, it would be a good idea to invite Evan. They had children roughly Ty and Brynie's age.

On the other hand, Bob was a member of the extended family. Tim thought it went back to Bob's first week as a TAD on Gibbs' team, the week they rescued the children. And of course, he'd been a member of Tim's 'move crew'. In addition, he knew Shannon and Kelly, one more person they'd be familiar with at the party.

Tim hadn't told anyone but Ellie that Bob had recently mentioned that he'd like to ask Sarah for a date. It was all Tim could do not to cheer. Here was a man who didn't need a background check and that everyone liked. He knew his sister liked him and thought he was interesting, very different from the other men she knew. Born in the Philippines to an American sailor and his Filipina wife, Bob had dual citizenship. His early years were spent in the Philippines and the Navy bases where his father was stationed, including two years in Norfolk VA. When his father retired from the Navy, the family moved back to his mother's hometown in the Philippines where Bob completed his education.

With a degree in Criminal Justice, he returned to the U.S., eager to experience life in his father's homeland. Already interested in NCIS he did well at FLETC and with his background, the agency was a natural. Then his new career seemed to skid to a halt. He did well during his probationary year but with additional budget cuts, found himself floating without a permanent assignment to a team. That is until Tony DiNozzo left on an extended personal leave and two drunken white supremacists orphaned two toddlers. In Bob's opinion, that was the day his NCIS career really got started, he'd found a home with Gibbs' team.

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The party was to start at 1:00 PM. At 0800, Jethro called Tim to tell him that Diane would be there. There was dead silence, sounds of movement and then a lot of swearing, apparently Tim had found somewhere private to talk.

"Dad, are you going to tell them ahead of time?"

"By the time her flight gets in, they'll just have time to take her luggage home, settle in and get over here."

"Well crap. She's going to throw a huge fit."

"I thought what I'd do is go out to greet them when they arrive and tell them then. So if she's going to have a fit, she can do it outside."

Tim huffed, "Take Mom and Kelly out with you and don't say anything. Watch Diane put the pieces together."

"Thought of that and your mother offered but as much as I'd love to do that it just seems mean."

"Still, Mom can handle her."

"Yep, so can Ellie and they know each other."

"Don't let her hit you, God, she could undo all your hard work."

"I'll take the cane with me."

"Do you still have the walker? Maybe take that, might soften her up a little."

When Tim returned to the kitchen, Ellie took one look and asked him what was wrong. "Diane's coming."

"Diane Gibbs Fornell Sterling, whatever she's using now?"

"Yes."

"Oh boy."

"Nicer than what I said."

"I bet. Any chance of damage control beforehand?"

"No, she's flying in late this morning." He told her his father's plan of meeting her outside the house.

"Huh. I could talk to her, she knows me."

"Thought of that, thought of Mom going out and just letting Diane figure it out. Dad said it felt too mean and I guess he's right."

Behind him Kelly said, "Too bad you can't tell her daughter and let her break the news. Sounds like she's as strong a character as her mother."

Tim turned to include her, "She's getting to be, that's for sure and that's a good idea but this is Dad's deal. He's going to have to let Rebecca and Stephanie know too."

Mac was behind them, "Tim?"

"It's ok Grandpa, I told Kelly."

"All right son. Too bad your father can't just go meet this woman at the airport, tell her there. Hate to ruin the party!"

Tim's face lit up. "Grandpa, that's a great idea! Tobias and Emily will be there too and Mom could go with Dad."

Ellie already had the phone in her hand, calling Jethro and Shannon. When Shannon answered, she listened to her father's idea and then laughed. "That's perfect, we'll tell them but it won't ruin the party. We'll tell her if she still wants to come, she's more than welcome. And it'll soothe her ego that Jethro is making a special trip to the airport to tell her."

When Jethro heard the plan, he took a few seconds to think it through. "I like that better than here. Fornell will buy me wanting to let Diane know I have someone new in my life beforehand. All right, Shannie, if you're okay with this?"

"Absolutely!"

Taking a deep breath, Jethro called his friend. "Hey Tobias, been thinking. I have someone I want you, Diane and Emily to meet but I'm a little worried about Diane's reaction. Thinking we'll come to the airport, meet you three there."

There was silence and then Tobias said, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. If she's going to be upset, she can be over the worst of it by the time we get to your place, or Tim's place. Shit, she doesn't know about him!"

"Not to sound petty at all but Tim's looking forward to telling her."

"Two hits in one day? Not a good idea."

"Ok, then I'll tell her at the airport, still be two hits but it'll give her time to uh…"

"If you're thinking 'get over it', you know better. Decide to be civil or not is a better ending to that sentence."

Fornell gave Gibbs the flight number and time of arrival and they agreed to meet at Baggage Claim. Gibbs quipped, "I'll be easy to find, the old geezer with the walker."

"I forgot about your knee! They say it's worth the pain and aggravation."

"Yeah, my doctor had one knee done and is doing the other one this year. That won me over. That and not being able to chase after my grandkids without taking large doses of painkillers afterward."

"All right, we'll see you there!"

Jethro felt guilty, he hadn't used the walker in nearly 6 months, since Brynie's birthday when there were so many little kids running around. If he knew he was going to be on his feet for hours at a time, he sometimes took the cane with him, kept it in the trunk of his car but he couldn't remember the last time he'd used it.

Calling her daughter for help, Shannon and Kelly transported the two pots of black beans and the fresh salsa down the sidewalk to Tim's.

When Kelly remarked on the plan to meet Diane, Shannon looked at her, "You know who she is."

"Yes, sure. Tim told me months ago when he told me about Tobias."

"It's sad, isn't it? At least we had each other. Your poor father didn't even have his father or my father to help him."

"Yeah, Tim told me some of that too."

After delivering the beans, they hurried back down the sidewalk.