A/N: Very slow getting around to finishing up WIPs and moving everything over to AO3.

Tim was surprised that Tony had reached out to him and asked to go to lunch. When the SFA had taken his leave of absence, Tony had barely even emailed his partner and best friend. Tim took this invitation to have lunch as a sign that Tony really was healing.

Tony seemed more relaxed, the fine lines in his face were not as defined as they had been when he came back from the Cape, and Tim noticed that his smile was real, not forced or fake.

"Sorry it took me so long to take you out to lunch," Tony said, sadly. "I promised you back in May I wasn't going to become a stranger and I did just that."

"You were going through a lot, Tony," Tim said, understanding. "You did keep your promise and made it to the wedding; you were the best, Best Man, I could have asked for, Tony. You were going through hell and you still managed to show up on my wedding day with a smile."

"Delilah would have killed me if I didn't," Tony said with a shrug and a smile. His smile faded and his eyes softened a bit. "Tim, thanks… for being there… in May, in all those times that I needed a friend. Did you ever think when we met in Norfolk we'd be sitting here, best friends?"

Tim laughed and shook his head. "No. You scared the hell out of me!"

Tony chuckled, remembering that timid kid in Norfolk. "Well, regardless of how we felt at first, I'm glad you're my friend, Tim."

"Me too, Tony," Tim said with a smile. "Me too."

Gibbs took a swig from his beer and went back to sanding his boat. Forty-eight hours had gone by since the team had arrested Merchant and sent him back to jail. Vance commended them for a job well done and gave them the rest of the week off. Which, was a good thing, Gibbs decided. It gave the team some time to regroup, and it gave Tony time to process what he wanted to do next.

"Hey," Tony's voice said, cutting through his thoughts. "I knew you'd be down here, drinking beer or bourbon."

"Helps me unwind," Gibbs said, watching as Tony stepped into the basement. "Surprised you're not at home."

"Meet with the therapist that Rachel recommended after lunch," the SFA said, openly. "Figured I'd drop by."

Gibbs took another sip of his beer. He reached behind him and found some sand paper. "If you're going to talk, you're going to work. Here," he said, handing the sand paper to Tony.

Tony smiled and began to sand the boat. "I've been questioning this whole federal agent thing since I shot Budd… you know, was I doing the right thing for me… for my family… it didn't feel right after Budd… until the other night. When I cuffed Merchant and got a dangerous serial killer off the streets. I am doing what's right."

"You're a good agent, Tony," Gibbs affirmed. "You just stumbled and lost your way. It happens to all of us."

"When you walked away all those years ago, I didn't get it," Tony confessed. "I do now."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Take the time off and really work on fixing myself, fixing the hurt in my family. Not wallow this time."

Gibbs looked at Tony, proudly, and nodded. "Already told you that your desk will be there. You need to do what you need to do for your family."

Tony stopped sanding for a second. "Which is what I should have done in May, but I didn't. I keep thinking if Merchant hadn't shown up… I don't think I would have come back to D.C; my marriage would have fallen apart, my family divided… it sounds crazy but having a case like this… put everything into perspective for me."

"You would have come to the same conclusion, Tony, regardless if this case had popped up," Gibbs said.

"Do you think so, boss?" Tony asked, honestly. "You saw me on the Cape. I was messed up."

"Yeah, Tony, I think so," the team leader said, just as honestly. "Because you're stronger than you think."

He put the sandpaper down, moved across the basement and pulled a beer from the six pack resting on the bench. Tony popped the cap and took a sip. "Not so strong that I needed Ducky to reach out to Rachel and you to force me to talk to her."

Gibbs paused what he was working on and looked at Tony for a moment. Their relationship had gone so far off track since the team leader had been shot. If only he hadn't been so wrapped up in his own personal hell he would have seen what Tony was going through sooner. "Maybe if I was stronger, didn't push you away because I didn't want you to see how weak I was… maybe you wouldn't have felt so… isolated."

Tony cracked a sad grin. "You know, when Leah and I were fighting over the summer, she compared me to you—and she made sure to tell me she wasn't comparing me to your good qualities. She said I bottled everything up until I let it explode, and just like you, I was letting it ruin a good thing."

"Always said she was smart," Gibbs muttered with a smile. "Perhaps, some days, a little too smart."

"She certainly sees through my masks, boss," Tony confessed. "Which is why she's good for me."

"Do you need to get home to that woman who's good for you? Or do you have some time to work on the boat?"

"Leah's at the University. Jack's at daycare. I have time."

Gibbs gestured towards the sandpaper Tony had discarded earlier. Tony looked at it, picked it up, and began to work on the boat. They still had a ways to go to fix their relationship, but drinking beer and working on the boat that afternoon was definitely a good start.

Tony locked the front door and set the alarm behind him when he returned home that evening. He glanced in the direction of where he had taken Merchant down and into custody, and then with no more thought, climbed the stairs.

Leah was in their bedroom, putting away laundry. She looked more relaxed now that they were home and finally safe, finally getting their lives back to something resembling normal.

"Hey, Jack in bed?" he asked, coming to stand behind her.

"Yeah, he was exhausted after school today," she whispered.

"Can we talk?"

"Sure. Is everything okay? Are you okay?"

"I am," Tony supplied, honestly. "Listen, I spoke to Vance, and my therapist… we've set a return date for me, in November, of course Vance said if I was ready to come back before then, he'd welcome me."

"If you feel you're ready, then you're ready," Leah said, fussing with the sheets. "I don't want to push you into something you don't want to do. We've been doing fine; we still have money in our emergency funds… we can save more if you're home and we're not paying for daycare or the nanny…"

Gently he took her hands and turned her to face him. Without a word, he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. She easily melted into him, deepening their embrace. It was the first time they had kissed like this since the spring. Tony released her, turned on his heel and went to close the bedroom door.

Leah stood by the bed, her heart beating rapidly as he turned around and discarded his tee shirt. Quickly they went back to touching and kissing and exploring the others body, as if they had never been together before. He deftly removed her camisole and sweatpants, before he picked her up into his arms and laid her on the bed.

Tony kicked his shoes off and then climbed onto the bed with her, straddling her. He pressed soft kisses across her collarbone, all over her neck and chest, making his way to her stomach. She sighed and tugged at his jeans. He obliged her wish and slipped out of them, taking his boxers with them as he went.

She removed her underwear and with her arms open, beckoned him to lay with her.

He was suddenly reminded why he had been so attracted to her. He joined her, pulse racing, skin on fire as he used his hands and mouth to worship her stunning body. When the heat became too much, he rolled her underneath him, and made love to her.

It wasn't long before they reached ultimate satisfaction. Breathing, heavily, Tony pulled Leah into his arms and spooned her, kissing her shoulder blades and sighing terms of endearment to her in Italian—like he always did to her after they had been intimate.

Leah startled him when she let out a soft sob. Rolling her onto her side so she was facing him, Tony kissed the tears away, fearful that he had been too rough with her…

"Oh bella, did I hurt you?" Tony asked. It had not been his intention, but it had been so long since they had been intimate.

"No. I've been… waiting so long for you Tony," Leah cried, "for you to come back."

"I'm here now, sweetheart, I promise," he said, kissing her cheeks tenderly. "I promise I'm not leaving."

"Tell me, tell me what I can do so you don't go," she cried, clinging to him, desperately.

Tony wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, kissing her forehead. "Just this, Leah… just continue to be there for me, continue to love me. That's all I need you to do."

It was amazing to him how life flowed back to a normal feel once they were home, once they were back into some kind of routine that resembled what their life had been like before Tali.

Tony faithfully met with his therapist, even bringing Leah along to a couple of the sessions to work through the problems his depression had caused in their marriage. He spent a lot of time with Tim and Jimmy; time with Gibbs working on the boat and mending fences. It was hard work, there were a lot of hurt feelings between all of them… but slowly they were rebuilding what two gunshots had undone when Luke shot Gibbs…

With Leah going back to work, Tony had become what she called her "sweet house husband"; he made sure Jack were taken care of, that their son made it to daycare on time if he had to be at therapy, that dinner was on the table... it gave him a greater appreciation for what his wife did when he was working…

Just after Halloween, when Tony had trekked through the neighborhood with Jack for trick-or-treating, he started to feel the itch… the urge to return to work, which was good because his return date was getting closer and closer.

Leah had not pushed him this time around to go back to work. She was giving him his space to allow him time to heal completely before he dived back into the world of being a full time federal agent.

His first day back on the job was easy enough. Tim had organized everything into a more efficient system; Ellie had his coffee and pastry waiting, and Abby was there with a hug…

At lunch time he was feeling the strain, the exhaustion, but he was happy for it. He felt like he was back where he belonged, that long dark journey coming to an end thanks to a lot of people caring and pulling for him.

Tony was at his desk, eating his lunch, when he discovered the card that Leah had tucked into his brown paper bag. It was a sweet, simple Good Luck card, but it was how she signed it that made his eyes go wide and everyone else in the bullpen to question if something was wrong.

"Everything's fine," he said with a smile. "Just.. something she wrote to me… that's all…"

"Nothing to see then," Gibbs snapped at the rest of team. "Get back to work."

Tony waited until he was sure Tim and Ellie were not paying attention to him to look at the card once again. A faint smile broke out on his face as he read, We love you! Leah, Jack, and Baby DiNozzo.

One, tiny little heartbeat filled the room, which filled him with so much joy that Tony was sure he was going to burst.

Leah squeezed his hand as she gazed at the tiny monitor before them, the doctor pointing out on the screen where their baby was. It was still so small and barely visibly, but it had a strong, healthy heartbeat. She turned her tear filled eyes towards Tony and smiled. "It's just as amazing the second time as it was the first."

Tony leaned down and kissed her. They had been on a long journey the last several months, and finally, they were at the end of the road. He was sure of this. They had forged a head on that dark path for long enough. This baby was a symbol of a fresh, new start for them and their family. "Yes, it's incredible. I can't wait to meet our new little one, I can't wait to tell Jack!"

"Do you want some printouts of the ultra sound?" the doctor asked. "I find that it helps parents explain to young children what is going on. Jack is very little from what I gather."

"He's fourteen months, so yeah—very little," Tony replied.

"Any helpful tips you can give us about making this easier on our son will be appreciated," Leah stated.

"I'll start with the ultra sound photographs. When the baby gets bigger, you can bring Jack with you so he can see the baby for himself," the doctor supplied. She excused herself and went to retrieve their photos.

Leah gave his hand a squeeze again while the nurse cleaned up her stomach. "Are you scared?" she whispered, because as happy as she was that they were going to have another baby… she was terrified that they were going to have two children, three and under, come that spring.

Tony chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I'm terrified. Already Jack exhaust us, now we're going to be adding another little DiNozzo to the mix—we might be doomed."

She glanced down at her for now smooth tummy. Soon, she'd start to show that she was pregnant. "Do you think it's a boy or a girl?"

He helped her sit up when the nurse was done cleaning her up. Tony watched as she pulled her heavy wool sweater over her stomach, and he stroked her hair while he answered, "I hope, it's a girl, that is going to look just like you… that would make our little family complete for the time being."

"Are you saying you want more kids after this?" Leah questioned.

"Yes. My mom always wanted a big family… I think it would be nice if I had it for her," Tony said with a shrug.

"You better get a good raise," Leah teased him.

"Or you could be promoted to department head," Tony teased back.

Leah swung her feet over the side of the examination table. She took the hand that her husband offered to her and climbed down. Smiling up at him, she pulled him in for a quick kiss. "Are you happy?"

Tony returned her smile and ghosted his thumb over her cheek. "Very. After everything we've been through this year, we deserve to end on a high note," he said, rubbing her belly. "What time do we have to pick the little man up from daycare?"

She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Not until five. We have plenty of time. Why do you ask?"

He reached into his suit coat and pulled out some legal forms. "Because, I want to take my wife out for lunch."

The doctor came back in with the sonogram photos and Leah's paperwork. She smiled at the couple, told them she would see them in a few weeks, and Leah could make her next appointment on the way out.

Leah looked at her feet before she smiled, lovingly at her husband. "Let's go have lunch," she said.

He grinned and stepped out of the examination room with her, closing the door behind him. As it softly shut, Tony realized that they had finally shut the door on that dark chapter in their life and were now opening another door to a new chapter that had a promising looking future.