Ok here is the next chapter. thanks for the lovely reviews, muchly appreciated! disclaimer in first chapter.

Chapter 2

Lying in bed, Gibbs thought back to the day that Kate had found out she was pregnant. He had come home from work to find Kate sitting in the middle of the guestroom staring out the window. He was about to ask her what she was doing when she spoke. "Jethro, do you think that this room would make a good nursery? I mean do you think that it'd be big enough? Or is it too sunny in here? Or noisy, I mean with us across the hall and the bathroom and-"

"Honey, why are you worried about a nursery?" Gibbs asked confusedly, Kate stuttered "umm, well uh… how would you feel about being a daddy again?"

Gibbs didn't know what to say. He had told Kate about his two sons from his second and third marriages, and they had even come to stay with them during their summer break, getting along quite well with their stepmother. Gibbs had always known that Kate would make an excellent mother, and the way that she interacted with his boys just proved him right. However, they had never really discussed having kids of their own. As Gibbs looked into Kate's eyes, he began to wonder what their child/ren would look like, and how he would teach him/her to ride a bike, and teach them how to build a boat. Gibbs grinned as Kate looked at him nervously biting her lip, moving towards her, he pulled her up to stand with him and wrapped his arms around her.

"So MOM, how much longer do we have before we have to be up for early morning feedings?" Kate tightened her grip on him and grinned into his neck "7 months and 23 days"

7 months and 24 days, 18 hours, two broken fingers, several painful castration and death threats later, Anastasia 'Stacy' Ryan Gibbs was born at 0810 hours on the 28 of August, 21 inches long, weighing at 7 pounds, 5 ounces. The precious baby had been named after two important people in the couple's lives, Gibbs' grandmother, and Kate's younger brother who had died in a freak accident at the age of 20.

Both JJ (16) and Nick (8) had been at the hospital to welcome their new sister to the world, Nick proclaiming that she was the "Perfectest baby" he'd ever seen and JJ swearing to "Always protect you". Kate and Gibbs both wept tears of happiness and joy at their new family, well not exactly Gibbs, he just looked on with a look that said "yep, I did this!". Nick was right. Stacy was the most perfect baby. She had inherited her daddy's bright blue eyes and smile, but everything else about her was all Katie. The maternal bond was so strong between mother and daughter, Stacy quieting down the second she was placed in her mother's arms suckling hungrily at her breast. She also proved to be a real daddy's girl by grabbing onto his pinky and giving him her first grin.

It had taken them almost 2 years for them to admit their feelings for one another, another 8 months for them to complete the first step to becoming a family, another 4 months for them to create a life and another 9 for their family to be complete. It had taken only one month for it all to be threatened, and one day for it all to come crashing down. Gibbs remembered that heart wrenching moment when his Katie had been shot. The bullet was intended for in between her eyes, but if she hadn't have turned to hug Gibbs… well that didn't matter. The bullet hit her at an angle, gradually ending her life. Gibbs could remember Kate falling, and him catching her in his arms, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Hold on baby, c'mon Kate keep those beautiful eyes open for me, please babe…" He pleaded kissing her forehead.

He could remember her words as he followed her stretcher to the ambulance entwining her fingers with his

"…Jethro…love you, tell …babies… love them…" by this time the tears were blurring his sight "I love you too baby".

He remembers the anguish that he felt waiting for the doctors to come and tell him that his Katie was going to make it, that she was going to be okay. He remembers the fear and the heartache when he saw the surgeon push open the double doors to the waiting room, the same blood on his scrubs that had covered his own shirt… Katie's blood, he remembers Tony and Ducky having to hold him up as the Doctor told him that his wife, the mother of his little angel was gone…forever. He remembers Abby and Mcgee bringing the kids to him at the hospital, the same look of grief in both their eyes. He remembers JJ looking scared, Nick looking confused and sweet little Stacy frowning as she saw her Daddy with tears streaming down his face. He remembers closing his eyes as she trailed her little fingers down his face, wiping his tears away as she had seen him do the same to her mommy many times before. He remembers hugging his children tight to him, having to do the heartbreaking job of explaining to the younger ones that Kate had to go away, to be with the angels.

He remembers Stacy's innocence asking, "Mommy back soon?" and months later holdingher tightly to him as shecried uncontrollably after another bout of nightmares "Mean Angel take Mommy…won't give back". He remembered the anger and resentment he felt when the director denied his resignation, not allowing him to go after his wife's murderer… Hasswari. He remembers the feeling of wanting to rip out Fornell's throat, telling him that this was the FBI's turf. Gibbs did not give a damn; it was the FBI's fault that his wife was dead, that Stacy was going to grow up motherless.

He remembers the day of her funeral, running his hand over the closed casket, stopping where her face would have been. He remembers thinking that he saw her walking away from a sycamore tree after the service. He remembers wanting to call out her name, only to be embraced by her mother. Once he looked back again, she was gone. He remembers feeling her presence in the park where he played with Stacy and Nick. He remembers her whispering for him to get his head out of his 'six', to stop being a 'jarhead' the night he was admitted to the hospital for exhaustion and her lingering kiss, leaving him with the words "I'll always love you" rubbing his chest like she always did when they were in bed.

tbc...

Replies!

Jen'slostER: thanks! hope you enjoyed this chapter

Tazallie: you'd better still be reading this!

Mellie Erdmann: My faithful reviewer, i luvs ya, but i can't tell you what happens, you're just going to have to tough it out and read the chapters! Suck it up Marine!

Ava: I'm glad you're enjoying this, sorry the chapters are short, but thats just the way things panned out... thanks for reviewing!

Jewelbaby: i liked the Tony, Stacy scenes too, and would love to add more in, but as i said, this story is already completed, and i'm just being cruel and posting it chapter by chapter. I might write a sequel..i don't know yet. but if you like the interactions that Gibbs' daughter has with Tony, check out my other fic 'The Wedding' because there are/will be more of that there!

Orangeangel: another faithful reader! was this update soon enough!

TV-LUVIN-HOTTIE: i love your name, and i thank you for your review! i am soo totally with you on the Post twilight fics...and then i became a hypocrite and wrote one! LOL hope you enjoyed this chapter.

ok guys, make a tired fic writer happy and plz review!