A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews, follows & favourites, glad to be back! I've missed writing this verse! To my newest followers/favourites, welcome aboard! So glad to have you with us! To my reviewers, you rock! Love hearing your thoughts/comments, so keep 'em coming!

To Answer my Guest Reviews: Ladylicious: thanks for all your reviews on More than he dreamed of, both main story & One Shots, I loved them all! It makes me smile knowing how much others love my writing!

Sue Dooley: Thanks! Glad you liked it!

none: Tim may be jealous of Mike & yes, Mike does have a close relationship with Kelly, along with Shannon & Nix, but its just a close friendship, and as far as titles are concerned with Shannon that will be addressed in this chapter.

Sdt: Thank you for your review! I want to assure you that Kelly knows Tim is the one for her, but I'm unsure how you can see Mike as being an ass? Yes, he's been a tad jealous, but that's about it.

Carrying on from the above I want to assure everyone that Telly is rock solid, I have so much planned for the pair! I've got some plans for Mike too. This chapter is giving us a glimpse into a few current & past underlying issues, so rest assured if I bring something up, its for a reason & shall be dealt with.

Enjoy!

"Tony" Shannon called through the sea of people that were now in her living area for dinner.

Tony approached her in the kitchen "Hi"

cuShannon smiled "How'd your check up go?"

Tony swallowed "Ahh…." With everything going on he'd totally forgot to go back for a check-up.

Shannon eyed him "You missed it?" she didn't even wait for the reply "March yourself next door to see Dr Bryne now, go on, we'll wait" she knew he was home & that Jimmy was still doing those autopsies.

Tony just nodded "yes ma'am" he knew better than to try to argue.

Shannon watched him go & shook her head, she turned to her husband, who was close by "you should have remembered that one"

"He' a big boy" Gibbs argued

"Yes he is" Shannon agreed "but he's also got a million things on his mind & you and I both know that when other things get in the way the last thing he concerns himself with is his own health"

Gibbs couldn't argue with that, it was true. He turned his attention to the people now in his living area, there was his family, Mike, Tony's & Wu's entire teams & Col Marks. The teams were all taking it in turns to duck out for a meal, they'd go back after dinner & relieve the others as they kept at it all. He was still frustrated that they hadn't been able to get names of the two men, even though they had the prints, he saw that Ziva had just gotten off the phone & motioned her closer "news?"

"Jimmy & the other ME are almost done with the autopsies, so far, there's no distinguishing features we can use to narrow our searches down, he said he'll keep going until he finds something we can use" Ziva reported, "where'd Tony get to?" she couldn't see him anywhere.

"Next door, he forget to go for his checkup" Shannon answered.

Ziva's eyes widened, shit! His throat! It had completely slipped her mind, they'd been so focused on everything else, now she felt horrible! She was supposed to be the one making sure he was ok! "I forgot he was due for his checkup today"

"We all get snowed under with things Ziva, Tony's certainly had a lot come onto his plate, and the day isn't over, so technically we've not forgotten" Shannon replied, wanting to ease her feelings..

Gibbs saw Ziva nod & move away "how is that she gets comfort & I get…" he'd been given the 'look' at not remembering, yet Ziva..

"A reprimand?" Shannon smirked, she leaned into him "because unlike them, you are the parent & the one who knows exactly how that boy is when it comes to his own health, you are the father, no?" she'd considered that a possible way to keep him balanced & not so much the second b for… person, was to keep him in the family mindset & not let it go too from that, besides, it wasn't like what she was saying wasn't true.

Gibbs just smiled at her "yes dear, but how many kids do we actually have?" so many of the agents just seemed to gravitate towards them.

"A whole room full" Shannon smiled back "I'm just waiting for the next generation now" she murmured, deciding to have a bit of fun.

Gibbs stared at her "I beg your pardon?" what was she saying? He looked at his daughter, she was sitting on Tim's lap as they watched Nix & Mike play off on xBOX FIFA '14, she wasn't? Was she?

"Not yet you idiot!" Shannon rolled her eyes "but sometime sooner rather than later would be nice"

Gibbs just eyed her "yea, maybe"

Shannon raised an eyebrow "Maybe? You saying you don't want grandchildren Jethro?"

"I want them Shan, of course I do" Gibbs retorted, of course he did! "But I want it the right way, and I want each of them to pick the right partner"

Shannon's eyes narrowed "you think your daughter has not chosen the right partner in Timothy?"

"I think things are rather tricky at the moment" Gibbs replied motioning to the situation on the couches, to him it was plain as day, Tim & Mike were creating a bit of a tense atmosphere.

"I don't agree" Shannon countered "Kelly is no longer interested in Mike that way, they've become great friends. She sees him as a great friend & that's it"

"Don't think Mike agrees with those feelings" Gibbs countered.

"Mike is simply protective of her, like someone else I know, his feelings are simply those of a protective marine, that wants his friend to be happy, so yes, he is still cautious of Tim & if you think that Kelly doesn't see it, then you're wrong. She can certainly tell that things are tense, but you are not helping the situation either." Shannon remarked.

Gibbs wasn't so sure "me?"

"Yes you, please relax with Michael, Tim seeing you tense towards him, just encourages him to be tense as well" Shannon answered "oh, and I believe it's time to remove the ma'am & Mrs Gibbs titles" she finished with a raised eyebrow, she'd wanted to get rid of them for quite a while already.

Gibbs just eyed her.

"Give me one, one good reason why it should remain?" Shannon challenged him.

Gibbs took a deep breath "respect"

Shannon's eyes widened "you seriously think the respect will stop if they call me Shannon or even Mrs G like Mike does, do you see any sign that he doesn't show it? Oh, and you are still having hm call you sir, the man who hates being called that!"

Gibbs knew she was right, but it wasn't something he wanted to discuss, now especially, he saw Tony come back inside & head straight for them "So?" he enquired, glad to be given an detour from the conversation.

"It's getting better, but he wants me to continue with the antibiotics for another week & to see him again after that" Tony reported.

"And?" Gibbs prodded, he could see there was a bit more.

"Said when everything gets sorted & settles down he wants to do some dental x-rays & he may want to remove my tonsils as a precautionary measure, as this was quite a bad case & he'd hate for me to get it again" Tony answered, he should have known to have given the full report.

"Then we'll assess it when this is sorted, there's nothing too it, Nix has had his removed, he actually loved it. A week of nothing but ice cream, jelly & puddings" Shannon smiled.

Tony nodded & smiled, she hadn't even hesitated saying 'we' will assess it, he just couldn't get over that feeling of being that cared for "sounds like a week of dessert heaven"

"He thought so" Shannon agreed, she turned to the masses "dinner's up, let's sit down"

Gibbs followed the masses to the table, he was glad their dining area could accommodate this many people without being too squashed. He took his seat at the head of the table, right next to his wife, he had his dad next to him & his girl was next to him.

Shannon was taking her seat, like her husband at the head of the table, with her son right next to her. She saw that Mike had placed himself between Nix & Tony, with Kelly across from him, with Tim right next to her. She loved that even though they had guests, they always sat together.

Shannon saw that everyone had taken their seat & spoke before anyone could get started with anything "Michael, would you do us the pleasure of saying grace?" while this wasn't a regular occurrence in the their house usually, Mike & his family were more traditional that way & she knew he always liked to say it.

"Certainly" Mike smiled.

Gibbs was glad his wife had given him the forewarning about this, otherwise he'd be looking surprised just like a lot of the others at the table, the team were all flashing surprised looks at each other.

Tony had to admit surprise at this, they'd never said grace before, he wondered why they were now? Saying grace before the meal wasn't something he'd really done, except at the occasional friends place when he was a kid, then there were the shabbat dinners with Ziva, but they said a few blessing before the meal & said grace after it mainly. He saw that people were now bowing their heads & holding the hands of those next to them. He saw Mike's hand stretched awaiting for him to take, it felt a little weird, but he took the hand & bowed his head.

Tim hadn't said grace before a meal in well.. a while, he'd done it growing up, his parents were traditional that way, but it wasn't something he'd really done on his own. He saw that Kelly had lowered her head & reached out to take his hand almost instantly, like she'd been expecting it. He was glad that they were on the other side of the table & he was holding her hand & it wasn't Mike, he took hold of her hand & awaited the blessing.

Mike took a deep breath, here goes! "Bless us Father and these thy gifts with which are about to receive. Bless this house & those present as we come together to inherit your bounty & fuel our bodies as we strive to locate the missing soul who will complete your son Anthony's family. Please bless Patricia and Jake & watch over them for as long as Anthony is separated from them."

Tony had closed his eyes but couldn't help himself he was now staring at the marine next to him wide eyed. He was shocked that Mike had said what he said, he was touched, but shocked!

"As we sit together & cherish the love of the families & friends around us, please, continue to bless this wonderful Gibbs family; they've truly been through more trials than most. Thank you for giving them strength to navigate through the dark waters & please watch over them as they continue down the road you've laid out. If I could also request a special favour Father, please allow Shannon's soul some peace, she has suffered more than anyone should, both through the years back there & in more recent times, her soul is too pure to be burdened down like it had, her's & her family's souls have suffered enough, let them be at peace & follow their dreams, like they're doing now (he gave Nix a squeeze & Nix couldn't help but smile)." Mike continued.

Shannon swallowed down the lump in her throat & let some tears run down her cheek, this boy was too sweet.

Gibbs was more than just taken by what Mike was saying.

"The family finally have their place in this world together & with the extended family they now find themselves with & it's an honour to be able to share this meal with them. As we sit here we ask you to protect those who cannot protect themselves, give us the strength to always see the good in peoples hearts & bless the roads we all travel, as they will never the same once we've travelled them. And please bless all the brave men & woman of the armed forces on this day, as we say amen" Mike concluded.

"Amen" came the reply, but I was only from Kelly, Nix & Wu's team.

Marks had already had a brief chat with Mike & hadn't been able to fault the guy, but now.. was this kid a saint? But he also realised just how well he knew the family.

Kelly had a few tears running down her cheek, she gave her friend a smile, he was always so good with expressing himself.

Mike shared a smile with Kelly, he could see though that Tim was looking at him a little surprised. He gave the guy a nod, he knew Kelly was happy with him, and while he admitted a tinge of jealously, all he wanted was for her to be happy & they did seem to really fit well together.

Gibbs could see there were a few people who were taken by what Mike had said him included, but his wife was nowhere near able to speak at the moment "everyone dig in, we're due back at NCIS in 90" he said, trying to move them all on & divert attention.

Jack couldn't say he wasn't taken by what the young marine had said, he certainly was, but he was keenly aware of the mood around the table as a result, so like his son he started to help himself to food, trying to relax the tension. He noticed though that while had started to help themselves to food Shannon had excused herself from the table & not 2 minutes later Mike had left too.

Shannon didn't realise what asking Mike to say grace would do to her, she needed a moment to compose herself. She headed up to her room & sat down on the bed, burying her head in her hands for moment. She took a deep breath & breathed through it, just liked she'd practiced with Laura at her meditation sessions at the base Chapel. She knew she had do something, and speaking to shrink wasn't an option for her, but when she'd discovered the meditation classes, she joined in &, it had helped her a lot, she did the group classes & had also done some one on one sessions with Laura as she continued to deal with it all.

Having been able to get herself composed, she quickly washed her face & brushed her hair ready to go back downstairs, but when she came into the hall she was met unexpectedly by Mike.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean.." Mike tried to say, he felt back for her obvious reaction.

Shannon again swallowed the lump "Hush, its ok. I just wasn't expecting it. You spoke beautifully & I am very touched by it. I was right with what I said earlier, your mum would be so proud of you, so very proud, so let's just leave it at that, ok?"

"Ok" Mike nodded

"Good" Shannon smiled "now, let's get back down there before all the foods gone!"

Shannon sat down again & felt her husband instantly put his hand on her thigh & rubbed it "I'm ok" she whispered. She was glad he'd let go alone, while she knew he would have gone after her instantly, he was letting her try to deal with it herself, which she was glad about.

Gibbs nodded, he was glad to hear it but also hoped it wouldn't stir up more nightmares, they'd gone almost a month without any, their best period yet, but was it about to end? He just hoped not.

Ziva could see that slowly people were relaxing; she knew that some had tensed because they really didn't know the details of what had happened & Mike's relation to it all. However, she knew that herself, Tony, Tim & probably Jack, Gibbs & Col Marks who knew all the details were taken by the emotions that he'd used & what he'd said. She was very moved that he'd mentioned Patricia in the prayer & knew Tony was too.

"Sharaz, could you pass the enchiladas please" Nix asked.

Shaz smiled "sure Nix, here you go"

Nix took it, no one had yet to take any "chilli challenge time" he stated.

"Careful Phoenix, I used Maryanne's recipe" Shannon warned.

Mike smiled, she'd used his mum's recipe "she always made the best tex-mex enchiladas', but your Mac 'n cheese rocked hers out of the park"

"You need something soothing to wash down the chilli" Shannon smiled, turning she warned "to those considering this, a warning, though there is cheese in it, it's hot"

Nix held the plate out & watched as his dad, grandfather & Mike all took, he then passed it on & saw Tim, Tony, Ziva, Wu, Shaz, Jonas & Col Mark all take some too "rules are simple, you have to eat as many as you can without any water during consumption. The one who can eat the most without requiring a drink, wins"

"You're not having one Kelly?" Shaz asked.

"I know I can't handle that much heat,, without a drink" Kelly replied, she wasn't too sure how Tim would do, he could handle heat, but this recipe was high in heat factor, very high.

"Don't think you've got enough though" Mike commented, the plate that held the pile was now pretty much empty.

Mark was never one to back from a challenge, this marine was becoming even more intriguing to him by the minute.

Kelly had just returned to the table "you eat all of these & your head will blow off!" she smirked putting another plate of them in front of him.

Zuse was feeling a little out of place, but he was sitting across from Mia Dodd, the probie from Wu's team & neither were partaking in this challenge, both were still feeling their way into everything & he had to admit, having a meal at the home of the big boss & his family, along with Col Marks… slightly nerve racking!

Kelly smirked watching everyone "ok, everyone take your first"

Shannon knew her husband, son & Mike would all be able to have at least two, she wondered how Jack would go, along with Tim, he'd not shown to be as big a fan of heat as her son & husband.

"Just like mum's" Mike commented as he finished his first one & went for a second one.

Tim had to admit, while it was nice, it was pretty hot, a drink wouldn't go astray but he wasn't going to go down in this first.

"Oh wow" Shaz commented "that's…" ok, that was hot, she needed a drink.

Jack had to admit, while he always enjoyed a chilli hit, and these were delicious but he was starting to realise that as he matured, his taste buds seemed to going backwards, he didn't even finish his first one before reaching for some water, he knew he'd never really have any chance of winning this.

Kelly watched as by the end of the second ones, Wu & Jonas had both reached for some water, she could see Tim was struggling & didn't want to him have more than he could handle "I don't want you burning your mouth, its no big deal to reach for the water" she saw that stubborn look, but she knew she was right, so she continued in a low voice "I'm not interested in a guy who isn't sensible & goes too far than he burns his mouth because he was too stubborn to not pull out of a silly challenge, that's not the guy I'm with. I'm with the guy who takes care of himself & doesn't care of what other people think"

Tim had stopped himself from reaching for the water because he didn't want Mike to beat him, but listening to Kelly & looking into her eyes, he knew his jealously really wasn't called for, she wanted him, not Mike. His mouth suddenly got hot again & he instinctively reached for the class.

Kelly smiled in triumph, she'd eventually get it through his head that there was no reason to be jealous of Mike in that way, they were good friends & that was it.

Tony had seen his partner reach for the glass & instantly did likewise, these were way too hot to have without any drink! He couldn't help but smile at the fact that soon after he'd taken a drink Ziva had too, she done better than him, she'd managed 3.

Sharaz was impressed, they were now just down to 3 competitors, Gibbs, Col Marks & Mike, they'd all had four so far & none were showing signs of wavering, even though they all looked to be feeling it. She was curious though, there were only 2 more left on the tray, and 3 of them?

Mike did his best to swallow his last bite as quickly as possible, having seen Gibbs just grab one & wanting to get his hands on the remaining one, and was about to reach for it when he heard his name called.

"Leave it Captain, that one is mine" Col Marks instructed, he wasn't going out on this challenge simply because they weren't enough left, no the Captain can forfeit his right to it.

Mike swallowed past the lump in his throat, that was slightly burning as he looked at the Colonel, damn!

"Pass it down, now Captain" Marks added having seen Mike hesitate.

Gibbs couldn't say his mouth wasn't burning, because it was, but he let out a smirk at what Marks was doing, however he quickly reined it in seeing the disapproving look he was getting from his wife.

Mike gave the only reply he could "yes sir" he replied & passed down the final one, well.. at least he gave it a good shot!

Everyone was now looking between either of the table where Gibbs & Col Marks were both eating their fifth, Ziva had to admit she was impressed, these enchilada's weren't exactly mild!

"You burn your mouth off, don't complain to me" Shannon smirked to her husband, she honestly didn't know how his mouth was coping with these.

Nix saw them both half way through & shot his sister a knowing look, getting a nod in reply he spoke up "wait one second please" he asked as he rose from his seat.

Marks wasn't exactly in a mood to wait, he wanted to shove it down & get something soothing down his throat, he wasn't sure what Nix had planned, but a knock at the door interrupted it all.

Nix had been on his way into the kitchen when he heard a knock at the door, so he de-toured to open it.

Gibbs was now looking down the hall way to see who had arrived.

"Hello?" Nix asked, he saw a middle-aged woman standing in the doorway, one he didn't recognise.

"Is this the residence of Agent Gibbs?" she asked quietly.

Nix smirked "No, this isn't the residence of Agent Gibbs" his dad wasn't a mere Agent anymore, after a slight pause where he saw confusion come across the lady's face he added "this is the residence of Deputy Special Assistant Director Gibbs, is that who you're after?"

"Umm, yes" she replied "is he home?"

Gibbs smirked at his son's antics, it wasn't the first time he'd done that, and his sister had also done it too. Realising the chilli challenge was dead, he quickly drank some water to smooth his throat & approached his front door, looking past his son, he couldn't really recognise the lady "Phoenix, go back to the table" he motioned to his son before turning to the lady "I'm Deputy Special Assistant Director Gibbs, can I help you ma'am?" he asked.

"Yes.. ah, I was hoping I could have word with you about… "she asked hesitantly, truth be told she wasn't expecting him to be home.

"About?" Gibbs prodded.

"About Anthony DiNozzo Junior" she answered finally.

Tony's eyes widened, he'd heard the comment from the table & rose instantly to see who wanted to speak to Gibbs about him, he took one step down the hall when he locked eyes on the lady, and they widened, he recognised her instantly "I've got nothing to say to you Linda" he stated from behind Gibbs.

Kelly shared a look with her mum & Tim, Linda? As in Linda Turner, the lady his dad had come to town with? This couldn't be good & could turn ugly!

A/N: Hmm... I wonder what Linda wants? Hopefully it wont turn ugly! Glad that Tony's getting better, but he might need to get those tonsils removed! Ouch! Mike said a beautiful grace, but it looks like Shannon is still dealing with everything (& honestly, I think that is more than understandable!)

I have to wonder though who would have won the chilli challenge Gibbs or Marks? ;) But just maybe Tim is realising that Mike really isn't a threat.

You know I love hearing your thoughts & comments, so review away! More up soon!