"Hey boss, you wanted to see us?" Tony asked when he and Kate walked down the basement steps.
Gibbs looked up when he saw Kate and Tony coming down the stairs. He gave them a look.
When they were standing in the front of Gibbs they were getting nervous. He was just looking at them.
"Gibbs we.." Kate begins.
"Didn't I make myself clear when I told you to be back in 30 minutes. And don't come to me with it was just 5 minutes. It took you 10 minutes to come back when I called you. Had you any idea how.." Gibbs said angry. Too stressed to finish his sentence.
"Boss we just sat down for a moment to talk" Tony said.
"Talk about what? You could talk here when you came back!" ( where I knew you were safe and okay, Gibbs thought. Boy he needed to calm down. He was frightening them.) Gibbs starts pacing around the room to calm himself down.
"Well..." Tony begins to say but couldn't find the right words.
"We talked about what happened to us. And that we were not the only ones that had changed. You and Ducky too. For example..."Kate said.
"Kate!" Tony hissed. "I don't think that we have to talk about that here." He said quietly.
"Let her talk Tony" Gibbs said with his arms crossed, stopping in the front of them. "How did we changed exactly?"
"It was just one of Kate's theory's boss, you know how she can get." Kate hit Tony on the arm. "Oww"
"Keep quiet Tony and let Kate talk since you don't want to explain." Gibbs said in a deadly calm voice.
"Well explain Kate." Gibbs said when Kate didn't talk.
"Uhmm.. Yeah.. Well when we changed and we were kids. Something happened to you too. It was always there but you were hiding those feelings and depressing it so it wasn't always in the open. And now that we were kids we saw your true colors. And well.. you are still showing them now that we are adults and well... "
"Kate just say what you want to say. Because you're not making a lot of sense now." Gibbs said frowning.
Kate looked at Tony for help.
Tony sighs.
"She meant that you are in full papa bear mode and we don't know how to handle that because we never saw it before. And Ducky is all of the sudden all grandfatherly. So it looks for us if the universe is turned up side down." Tony said quickly.
Kate looked at Tony in disbelief "seriously!" Kate said and hit him again.
"Hey! You couldn't say it!"
"Don't hit him Kate." Gibbs said softly. He changed! Well it could explain why he was behaving so differently.
"Tim is also thinking this?" He finally asked.
"Yes Gibbs." Kate answers.
"Tony can you bring Tim downstairs?" Gibbs wanted to talk to the three of them.
Tony nodded. 5 minutes later Tim was also in the basement looking confused.
"Sit down on the couch" Gibbs said. Pointed to the old couch that stood in the corner of the basement. He took a stool from the workbench and sat down in the front of them.
"So you think Ducky and I changed?"
"What did you tell him guys?" Tim whispers to Kate and Tony. Thinking that Gibbs didn't hear him but he was wrong. And Gibbs smiles.
"Well maybe Kate is right. We always care for you. Ducky is seeing you as his grandkids. Always did always have. He doesn't have any family as do I. Our work became our family. And you became part of it. But before you changed you had your own life, your secrets, your own family. Some more than others. We were a work family and we had our parts in it. It was always there. Like you said Kate 'it was not in the open.'
I always saw you as my kids. Like Ducky always saw you as his grandkids. But you were grown ups and you could take care of yourself. But when you changed and you were kids you needed someone to take care of you. So we took our parts."
"And we became a real family." Kate said with tears in her eyes.
Gibbs smiles. "Yes we became a real family. And you don't quit family."
"Wow Boss this is the most you have been saying about feelings..Oww." Tony begins to say when suddenly Kate elbowed him in the stomach.
"Shut it Tony! So we still are a real family?" Kate asks.
"If you guys want. It's up to you now. Yes we changed. But don't forget you changed too. You accepted the family when you were little, but you changed back and now you don't know how to behave because we didn't change back. So it's up to you. Do you want to be a real family? Or do you want to change it back as how is was? Then Ducky and I will try that for you. But I don't think that is that easy as it sounds."
Tim, Tony and Kate were silent for a moment. Thinking about how they changed. To everyone surprise, Tony was the first to speak.
"I want to have a real family. I never really had one." He said seriously.
"Me too boss. Most of the time my parents were away. It was just me and my sister. But now she is in college so I don't see her that much anymore. I want to be part of this family" Tim said.
They were now looking at Kate. Kate looked at them.
"Of course I will be part of this family. I was the first one to see it." She said happily.
"Keep thinking Kate." Tony said grinning. 'Ooww!' He said when Kate elbowed him again. "Will you stop doing that!"
"I will when you stop" Kate said.
"I didn't do anything" Tony said.
"Guys do you wanna do this now?" Tim asks nervously when Kate and Tony gave him a warning look.
"Kate don't hit Tony. Tony stop bickering with Kate. And don't even think about hitting Tim!" Gibbs said sternly.
"Yes boss, yes Gibbs" Tony and Kate said.
"So to come back to our conversation. Now that we decided that we are a real family, that means that your actions have consequences. And as the "dad" it's up to me to give them to you." Gibbs said.
"Oh man here we go" Tony said and hit his head.
"Tim you can go upstairs now again. It's time I have a talk with these two." Gibbs said kindly.
"Yes boss" Tim said and walks upstairs. Halfway he stopped. "Can I play a game on my laptop again boss?" He asked nervously.
"Not longer than a hour Tim"
"What!.. but I ..." Tim begins to argue but stopped when he saw the look Gibbs gave him and the look Kate and Tony shot him. Telling him to shut up now that he was safe.
"Uhmm understood boss. I leave now then." Tim closed the door of the basement when he was upstairs to give them some privacy.
Gibbs now stood in the front of them with his arms crossed.
"So now that we are back again, why we were here in the first place, what the hell were you thinking!"
"Boss I think we had that conversation not long ago when we stopped to talk." Tony said confused.
"Yes I know why you stopped to talk Tony. I want to know why you didn't call when you knew you were running late. For god sake! You just de-aged again. Your body's went through a lot. And I really really didn't think it was a good idea for you two to take a run.."
"So why did you let us run boss, if you didn't think it was a good idea. It never stopped you before?" Tony asks.
"Because I saw the look in your eyes Tony. And I knew I couldn't talk you out of it."
"Hmm told you" Kate said grinning and Tony shot her a look.
"I knew you would be restless after you were done with Ducky, you needed to ease your mind. I did let you go because Kate was with you. And I knew Kate would look after you and you would look after Kate when she was with you." Gibbs said.
"Oh" Tony said shyly.
"I didn't tell you to take your phone with you for fun! And I didn't tell you to be back in 30 minutes just because I felt like it!"
Kate and Tony now looked ashamed.
"Something could have happened because your body's couldn't handle the activity yet."
"But nothing happened boss." Tony interrupt.
"No Tony nothing happened. But how could I have know! You didn't call and you were late!. How was I supposed to know that you were sitting on a bench talking instead of lying somewhere on the ground unconscious bleeding because you fell!" Gibbs yells.
"Gibbs we are fine. We are okay. And we see now why you are angry. You're right. We should have called you. We are Sorry." Kate gave Tony a look to say something. She saw now how scared Gibbs must have been.
"Yeah boss what she said. We are sorry won't happen again." Tony said.
"I'm sure it won't happen again. You are grounded for one week..."
"Grounded!" Tony said in disbelief.
"Yes Tony grounded. Be glad I gave you one week because it's the first one but if you keep this behavior up I can I make it two"
Kate shot Tony a look to shut up. Grounded at this age was already bad as it sounds.
"No boss I'm okay. One week sounds lovely." Tony said grinning.
"Good to hear"
"Uhmm" Tony begins.
"What Tony?" Gibbs asked signing.
"What does grounded mean?" Tony asks shyly.
"You serieus? You never have been grounded before?" Kate asked in disbelief.
Gibbs was stunning too. Well with a basterd as father I wouldn't be so surprised.
"Well no Kate I wouldn't ask if I did. My father had other methods for punishment." Tony said angry.
"Uhmm. I'm sorry Tony. I didn't mean.." Kate stutters.
"It's okay Kate, sorry I got angry" Tony sighs.
"Well Tony it means that you can't do some things anymore for awhile or do some chores." Gibbs said kindly.
Tony nodded. "So what does that mean for us?"
"Well Tony you can't watch tv for one week and Kate no phone or going outside to go shopping or any kind of wellness."
"WHAT!!" They yelled.
"You can't be serious boss?"
"Oh I'm serious Tony." Gibbs said.
"Gibbs you can't do that I need to go outside I need to call my friends I need.."
"What you need is to listen to me. For that we are here for in the first place. One week. The longer you are arguing the more tempting it sound to make it two weeks."
"Week is fine boss. Right Katie?" Tony said.
"Yes Gibbs one week is good"
"Good now go upstairs make lunch. I will be there in a minute." Gibbs said smiling.
They nodded and walk upstairs.
Inside Gibbs was happy. He talked to his kids. Finally they were opening up at what was bothering them. Well they weren't the only ones bothered. He was too. Now they knew they were a family and they took their punishment without too much fuss. He could still be the father and they could still be the kids and Ducky was still the grandpa.
If he was honestly he didn't think he could go back so easily now that his parental feelings were there so open. No he couldn't put them back inside. Like Tony said, (he thought grinning,) full papa bear mode and no one was touching his cubs.