Moving Day

Sammie grinned as she watched Tony and her dad wrestle her favorite chair into the back of the truck. It was a large recliner that could lay almost flat and was the most comfortable chair she'd ever sat in. She looked at her car, where Jack sat in the front seat and watched the proceedings. After making sure that he was comfortable with the windows down, she went back inside to get some more boxes.

By the time she came back outside with a box of books in her arms, the chair was secured in the back of the truck, covered with a tarp that was tied down. Tony stood at the tailgate, resting one hand on it and eyeing Gibbs. "Hey, Boss… coffee run?"

Gibbs nodded. Sammie reached into her pocket and pulled out her car keys. "Take Jack for a ride," she suggested. "Black tea for me, please."

Tony grinned at her, caught the keys she tossed to him, and headed for her car.

Gibbs took the box of books from Sammie and placed it in the back of the truck.

"You okay, Dad?"

"Yeah, fine." He looked at her and smiled. "Didn't get much sleep last night. DiNozzo knows the danger signs."

Sammie sat on the front steps; after double checking the ropes holding the chair and tarp in place, Gibbs joined her. She rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm so happy to be moving back home."

Gibbs reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. "I couldn't be happier to have you back there. Your Aunt Tina wants me to set limits, you know."

She laughed. "Of course she does. She takes every opportunity to push me to break some rules." Sitting up, she shook her head. "I was right, you know… they ended up not charging her."

"Figured."

"Oh! I got you something. Hold on." Sammie jumped up and ran inside, coming back out with a small, rectangular wrapped box.

Gibbs looked at her suspiciously, but tore off the wrapping and opened the box. He laughed and shook his head. "What do I need a second phone for?"

"I thought this could replace that dinosaur you use. We could text during the day! Wouldn't that be cool?"

"Not really wanting to be any easier to reach, you know."

"Even me?"

Gibbs smiled at her. "Not you. We lost enough time, don't you think?"

"Yes," she stated emphatically. "Here, I already have it set up with a few apps I think you'll like, let me show you…"

Gibbs got a lesson in basic smartphone use until Tony returned, at which point he stashed the phone in his pocket, not wanting to let his second know he had it.

Tony left Jack in the front seat and distributed coffee and tea before taking a seat on the lowest step and stretching his legs out in front of him. "At least it's a nice day. Is there much more to load?"

Sammie shook her head. "Not really… just one more box of books and one last suitcase. I'll check the house again just to be sure." She sipped her tea. "Should we be going soon?"

Gibbs checked his watch and shook his head. "I'm under orders from Abby not to get you back to the house before noon. She wants time to set everything up for the party."

"I really don't need a party."

Gibbs and Tony spoke at the same time. ""Too late.""

"Ha… that's funny. You two do that often?"

They looked at each other, then simultaneously turned to her and shook their heads.

She rolled her eyes, then sighed. "I guess I should tell you I heard from Joann yesterday."

Gibbs tensed next to her. Tony settled back in his seat, looking between the two of them. Sammie met his eyes. "She's getting therapy."

Tony's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

Sammie nodded. "She started going to a friend of Ducky's. He's keeping Ducky posted about her visits… just whether she shows up. So far she hasn't missed one." She drank some more tea and looked thoughtfully into the cup. "She's considering going in-patient."

Gibbs' eyes widened as he turned to look at her. She nodded. "Really."

"That would be a relief," Tony said, keeping his tone neutral.

"Huge," Sammie agreed. "I don't think she wants to stop hating you, Dad."

Gibbs shrugged. "Her prerogative." He checked his watch. "I think I'll take Jack for a walk… if that's okay with you."

Sammie blinked at the change in subject, then smiled. "Go right ahead. Tony and I can grab the last of my stuff."

Gibbs shot her a smile, then got up and walked to the car, opening the door and clipping the leash to Jack's collar. The dog jumped out of the car and stood facing Sammie, but turned when Gibbs spoke to him and trotted off, rear end wagging.

Tony watched them go, then focused on Sammie, who watched them with a slight frown. "He's okay," Tony reassured her. "I'd bet moving you back home, talking about Joann… it's bringing a lot of memories back."

Sammie nodded slowly, her expression relaxing. "I wondered if it would get to him. He seemed fine until now." She finished her tea, grabbed Gibbs' empty coffee cup, then looked at Tony. "Ready?"

Tony sipped some more coffee, then stood and followed her back into the house. It didn't take long for them to bring the last of Sammie's things to the car, piling them into the back seat. They both checked through the entire house, making sure nothing was left behind and that everything was clean. Sammie bagged the last of the trash and took it outside, then took the key off her key ring and set it on the kitchen counter. "The realtor is coming over later this afternoon to check on everything. He's got a key, so we'll just lock the door handle on the way out." She went into the living room and sat on the couch.

Tony joined her. "You really don't have all that much stuff."

"A lot of things are in storage, along with Momma's and Pop's stuff. I figure if I buy my own house someday, I'll get a lot of it then." She sat back, looking around the house, then at Tony. "I guess this is it."

Tony was fairly certain she wasn't really talking about the move. "End of friendship stage, beginning of dating stage?"

Sammie grinned at him. "How about we try for both?"

"You're on." Tony held out his hand. She took it, and he pulled her closer.

Roughly half an hour later, Gibbs and Jack walked in. Gibbs repressed a smirk as his daughter and his second in command leapt off the couch, clearly trying to straighten clothes and smooth disheveled hair. He just laughed, while Jack sat with one head cocked to the side. "C'mon you two. Let's go home."

Just over an hour later, Gibbs pulled the truck into the driveway, with Sammie's car following close behind. Tony, who'd been explaining the plot of some superhero movie, got out of the truck and moved around to the back to start unloading. Gibbs sighed in relief when silence descended in the cab. He'd given up on trying to keep all the characters straight at least fifteen minutes ago.

He watched Ziva and Abby come out of his house. Abby ran to Kelly, enveloping her in a hug, then apparently telling Ziva to do the same. Kelly grinned at Ziva, who returned the smile and stepped forward to give her a quick hug. Then Tony called to him to help with the chair, and Gibbs got out of the truck.

It didn't take the five of them long to empty the truck and the car. It did take a little effort to get the chair upstairs into Kelly's room. Gibbs was pleased to see how happy Kelly was with the new furniture, and amazed at how quickly all the books, clothes, and other items were unpacked and put away. Books went on shelves haphazardly; Kelly said she'd organize them later.

Not long after most everything had been put away and Gibbs and Tony were breaking down the cardboard boxes, the door opened and Ducky walked in, followed closely by Tim, his arm in a sling.

Tony grinned widely. "Probie!"

"Hey, Tony." Tim looked around the redecorated living room, then took a few steps into the dining area. "Wow, Gibbs, this place looks great."

Gibbs nodded to Tim in appreciation. "How're you feeling?"

"Pretty good. Ducky picked me up since I'm not allowed to drive yet. PT's a bitch." Tim smiled as he said that, causing Tony's eyes to narrow.

"No one smiles like that when they talk about physical therapy," he said accusingly. "What gives?"

Tim's smile widened. "I met someone a few sessions ago."

"You met someone? At PT?"

"Something wrong with your hearing, Tony?" Tim looked smug. "Yeah, I met someone. Her name's Delilah, and she's getting physical therapy on her shoulder too. She was in a car accident. She works for the DoD and she's… amazing."

Gibbs glanced at Tony, curious to see how far Tony would take the teasing, and was surprised to see Tony's face simply light up. "Congrats, man! My little probie, all grown up… maybe we can double date!"

Tim's brow furrowed and he cocked his head to one side. "You're dating someone?"

Tony hesitated, glancing at Gibbs, who rolled his eyes and reached out to smack him lightly on the back of the head. Tony grinned at him, then looked at Tim. "C'mon into the kitchen, I'll tell you all about it."

The younger men headed for the refrigerator and the beer. Ducky walked over to Gibbs. "I must say, Jethro, the house looks splendid."

Gibbs looked around, enjoying the energy; there were voices and laughter coming from upstairs. He looked at his friend. "Life's good, Duck."

Ducky gave him a broad smile. "That may be the first time I've heard you say so."

Gibbs was spared from replying when Kelly came downstairs, Jack close behind. "The place looks great, Dad! Ducky, hi!" Kelly impulsively hugged the older man, who laughed and patted her shoulder.

"Welcome home, my dear."

"Thanks!" She turned to Gibbs. "Abby says the party starts in a few minutes?"

Gibbs sighed and nodded. Kelly grinned at him. "Suck it up."

Ducky hid a smile while Gibbs mock-glared at his daughter. She smirked and walked into the living room, stopping when she saw all the pictures on the mantle. Gibbs followed her as she moved toward them; she picked up one of her with her adoptive parents and stood quietly, gazing at it. She looked up at him after a moment, her eyes glistening with tears. "Thank you."

Gibbs rested his hand on her shoulder. "They're family. They'll always have a place here."

Kelly set the picture back down on the mantle, and turned to hug him. They stood there for a while; out of the corner of his eye, Gibbs saw Ducky directing Ziva and Abby toward the kitchen. "Hey," he said quietly, "like I told Ducky just now, life's good."

She pulled back and smiled up at him. "So let's go and enjoy the party."

Welcome Home Party

Within an hour, the party was in full swing. It was a beautiful late-spring afternoon, so they were all in the backyard. Vance had arrived with Jackie and the kids; Kayla and Sammie were becoming fast friends. As Vance commented to Ducky, "Maybe with Kelly's influence, Kayla will stop talking about becoming an agent and think about medicine instead." Jimmy and Breena were there as well. Jared had suggested a game of hide and seek that degenerated into everyone except Ducky and Gibbs chasing all over the house and the yard. At one point, Tony raced past where the two old friends were sitting and talking quietly, closely pursued by Sammie and Ziva… moments later Sammie was running back in the other direction, with Tony chasing her while Kayla and Jared held Ziva captive. There was more laughter and noise than the house had experienced in two decades.

Some time later, Gibbs was at the grill and everyone was eating various salads and appetizers, when Sammie spoke up. "Hey, everyone, listen up!"

She smiled as everyone turned toward her. "I have a couple of announcements… first of all, I found out yesterday that I've been accepted into the University of Maryland's program in veterinary medicine, and I start classes this fall."

Clapping and cheering followed that announcement. Gibbs handed the tongs to Ducky and walked over to Sammie, pulling her into a hug. Then he turned and went back to the grill, grinning the whole way.

"Second of all… when I first found out who I really am, I asked everyone except Dad to call me Sammie. Dad calls me Kelly, of course… and I know it gets confusing. I set up a conference with a lawyer, the same one Dad talked to - without asking me first, by the way -" She mock-glared at Gibbs while there were various protests and exclamations. "Anyway, the upshot is I might end up legally establishing myself as Kelly… so everyone can feel free to call me that now." She grinned at her father while he stood there looking at her with a small smile on his face.

A short time later, Kelly stood next to Tim while they waited for their burgers to be done. "Hey, Tim… I think you should call me Shelly in your next book."

Tim gaped at her. "Uh, I… um, what?"

She giggled. "You wrote Deep Six, right? I mean, I get it, about Tibbs' messianic complex and all that… but you left Mom and me out of it. Now you could have Shelly come back into Tibbs' life… truth is stranger than fiction, right?"

Tim narrowed his eyes, thinking. "You know, you might be right…" The head slap from Gibbs was quick and hard enough to get the point across. "Sorry, Boss!"

Gibbs just shook his head and served the burgers.

After everyone had eaten, the Vances had to leave, but not before Jackie had a long talk with Kelly and invited her and Gibbs to dinner at their house. Gibbs and Tony were sitting in some new Adirondack chairs Gibbs had added to the patio furniture, while everyone else was at the picnic table. The conversation had turned to funny stories, with Kelly sharing some funny farm experiences from her job, and the others sharing stories from college or work. Gibbs stayed quiet, content to listen.

As everyone quieted down following Breena telling a funny story about her father putting his foot in his mouth at a big family reunion, Abby spoke up. "Ducky! Don't you have a funny story? You always have a story!" She looked at Kelly. "Have you ever heard one of Ducky's stories?"

Kelly grinned. "Heard some just a few nights ago, they're amazing. Why?"

Abby grinned at her, then looked at Ducky. "Got a funny story about Gibbs?"

Gibbs groaned and brought his hand up to cover his eyes. Tony reached over and patted his boss' shoulder sympathetically, while Kelly's eyes lit up.

"Of course, my dear," Ducky said complacently. "I actually have many, from early on, before Anthony joined us." He sipped his tea, considering. "Ah, yes… this one happened while Stan was about two years into his time with Jethro." Ducky looked at Gibbs, his eyes twinkling. "You do recall the garden gnome and the pink flamingo, don't you?"

Gibbs groaned again, set his beer on the ground, and reached behind his back to grab one of the pillows Kelly had put on the Adirondack chair. He then let himself slide down in his seat and put the pillow over his face.

Everyone watched him, incredulous, except for Ducky, who simply smiled, and Kelly, who remembered this sort of behavior from when she was little and her mom, with a wicked gleam in her eyes, would tell their friends a funny story about her dad.

"Tony," Gibbs said, his voice muffled by the pillow, "a little bit of pressure here, and you'll put me out of my misery."

Tony's eyes lit up, and he leaned over to grab the sides of the pillow and pretend to suffocate his boss.

"Hey!" Kelly called out, "I get dibs!"

At that, Gibbs sat up quickly, pulling the pillow away from his face, and mock-scowled at her before tossing the pillow in her direction. She caught it expertly, and smiled. "See? He wants me to do it."

There was more laughter; Gibbs' entire team was clearly enthralled with seeing him so playful. Kelly grinned at him, then threw him the pillow. She turned to Ducky. "You have to tell the story."

"Well," Ducky began, settling into his chair, "Jethro and Stan had just solved a case involving a serial killer. This particular individual had gone after young female petty officers with red hair, and had traveled all over the country seeking them out. Jethro, as you can imagine, was particularly driven, and poor Stan was having a devil of a time keeping up with him." He paused to drink more tea and took the opportunity to survey his enraptured audience. "It took several months, and unfortunately a number of bodies, before they finally cornered the man, who took his own life rather than be forced to face the families of his victims in a courtroom. The profile I put together certainly indicated a tortured soul who was not in control of his actions." He stopped again. "I must say, it's rather refreshing to engage in storytelling without interruption."

Gibbs smiled at him. "Interrupted yourself there, Duck."

Ducky returned the smile. "That I did. It's practically Pavlovian, isn't it? Reminds me of a time when –"

"Ducky!" Ziva protested. "You cannot leave us suspended!"

Tony's eyes met Tim's. "In suspense," Tim corrected.

"Or hanging," Tony added.

"I do apologize. Now, where was I?"

"The serial killer took his own life," Jimmy said helpfully.

"Ah, yes. Thank you, Mr. Palmer." Ducky nodded, thinking. "Well, the end of that chase happened right here in DC, and since I had gone to see many of the bodies along with Jethro and Stan, the three of us decided to let loose, as it were. We met up at the small home Stan was renting from that woman… what was her name?"

"Not thinking that matters much," Gibbs said, shifting in his seat and glancing around his backyard.

"Better get on with it, Ducky, Gibbs is looking for escape routes," Tony commented, grinning at his boss.

There was more laughter. "Jethro," Ducky commented, "I very much doubt you remember this, you had so much to drink."

Gibbs sighed. "I remember just enough to wish you didn't."

"Sadly for you, I have an excellent memory. Now," he surveyed his audience again, "we sat in the backyard, much as we are doing here… myself, Stan, and Jethro. One thing you must know, Stan's favorite drink at the time was gin."

Gibbs sighed. "Still can't drink the stuff."

"That's hardly a surprise. I do believe you polished off at least two of the four bottles all by yourself."

Kelly's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Oh my, yes. Your father can drink just about anyone under the table."

"All that bourbon," Tony added helpfully.

Gibbs shot him a mild glare, while Kelly commented, "Yuck."

Abby, Tony, Ziva, Tim, and Jimmy all said, "It's an acquired taste," then grinned at each other.

"Anyway," Ducky continued, "knowing this, Jethro and I independently each brought a bottle to Stan's residence, and Stan already had two bottles sitting there with the glasses ready to go. As you can imagine, after a very difficult several months, we all needed to blow off some steam." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "It was rather astonishing how quickly Jethro drank so much."

"So, what happened?" Abby asked eagerly.

"Stan's landlady had some interesting outdoor décor. She was rather fond of lawn ornaments. There was a large pink flamingo, quite a robust one, as I recall, the head came up to Jethro's shoulder. Ah, and there were a number of garden gnomes."

"Damn things were everywhere," Gibbs complained.

"Well," Ducky went on, "we were all quite inebriated, but neither myself nor Stan were anywhere near as drunk as Jethro. He was quite verbose, as I recall, and slurring his words slightly. Stan was hanging on to every word as if it were gospel. The four bottles of gin were almost empty by that time, and we were becoming quite mellow, when one of the neighbors started playing music… a waltz, I believe it was."

Tony's eyes widened. "No," he breathed out, in anticipation.

"Yes indeed," Ducky said, grinning in Gibbs' direction. Gibbs' face was turning red. "Jethro staggered to his feet, approached the pink flamingo, and asked it to dance. He was quite serious about it, straightening his shirt and making sure his hair wasn't terribly mussed before he went over there."

There were delighted cries of laughter from the group, and even Gibbs was smiling.

"I must say, Jethro, the fact that you were able to execute a credible waltz while under the influence to that extent was truly remarkable." He looked at the others. "He managed to make several circuits of the yard, waltzing with the plastic bird, when he tripped over one of the larger garden gnomes."

Gibbs hid his face in his hands. Tony was laughing so hard he had tears running down his face. Kelly's eyes were sparkling while she grinned at her dad. Abby, Ziva, and Breena couldn't stop giggling, Jimmy had a huge grin on his face, and Tim's mouth was hanging open, incredulous at the picture Ducky's words were painting.

"The gnome," Ducky said very seriously, "fell over onto the stone walk and its head separated from the body. Poor Jethro was convinced he'd just committed manslaughter. He tried to set the flamingo down in order to help the gnome, but of course the flamingo tipped over, and Jethro had to stop 'her' from falling, so he kept swaying back and forth between the two. I must say, he reminded me of a Danny Kaye comedy routine."

At this point, Tony was laughing so hard he fell out of his chair.

"Stan was too inebriated to stand, so he simply watched it all, rather befuddled, I believe. Jethro managed to get the flamingo properly staked into the lawn so it didn't fall over, apologized to it quite profusely, then knelt next to the fallen gnome and attempted to get the head reattached to the body. He called to me for help, and I believe he was trying to say 'decapitated,' but in his compromised state he couldn't quite manage it. If I recall correctly, he said something along the lines of deca… deek… depaticated… Ducky, head fell off!"

Tim giggle-snorted.

"I had drunk the least amount of alcohol, so I was able to get up and see to the damage. We managed to right the gnome and balance the head back on, although it was quite precariously placed. Then Jethro became confused at the lack of blood, as he was sure he must have severed major arteries."

Kelly was biting her lips to keep from laughing; she got out of her chair to sit on the ground next to her father, taking one his hands on both of hers. His face was beet red, but he was grinning, probably more at everyone's reaction than at the story.

"I finally managed to get Jethro away from the gnome by pretending to call 911 and assuring him that the EMT's would save the poor thing. He then returned to the flamingo and tried desperately to get her number, but apparently, she would no longer have anything to do with him. In the meantime, Stan had fallen asleep. Then the music changed, and Jethro attempted to jitterbug by himself… I believe he was trying to impress the flamingo. He fell over, which was not terribly surprising given his lack of coordination… a waltz was one thing, but a jitterbug? In any case, I helped him to his feet and managed to get him in the house and on the couch, but not before he insisted on bringing the flamingo to bed with him."

Everyone, even Gibbs, was in hysterics; Jimmy had gotten up to help Tony, who was laughing so hard he was finding it difficult to catch his breath.

Once everyone had recovered, storytime seemed to be over; no one wanted to try to follow Ducky. Gibbs eventually got up to clean the grill, observing everyone while he worked. Ducky, Jimmy, Breena, and Tim were in earnest conversation about something, he had no idea what. Ziva and Abby were talking with Kelly and Tony… who were holding hands. Gibbs was able to hear Tony asking Kelly if she'd like to try ballroom dancing, and he smiled to himself at her enthusiastic yes.

Ziva got up to talk with Jimmy and Breena, and Abby followed. Gibbs watched Kelly and Tony simply look at each other; he wandered closer to pick up some of the plates and utensils lying around, and he could hear them talking.

"So…" Tony was saying, still holding Kelly's hand, "I've been calling you Sammie since I met you… what do you want me to call you now?"

Eyes sparkling with happiness, Kelly smiled at him. "You can call me anything you want."

Gibbs immediately flashed back to the Stillwater train station and meeting Shannon. He stood there, lost in memories, until he was snapped out of it by Ducky's voice. "Jethro? Are you alright?"

Gibbs blinked, looking at his daughter and Tony, deep in conversation, and then smiled at his friend. "I'm fine, Duck. And they will be too," he added, gesturing toward them.

Ducky smiled, patted Gibbs' arm, and wandered off to talk with Jimmy and Breena.

Gibbs brought the dishes and utensils into the kitchen, where he found Abby packing up leftovers. He set everything in the sink, and walked over to her, putting an arm around her shoulder and kissing her temple.

"Gibbs! Isn't this such a great day?"

"One of the best, Abs." He looked at her seriously as she smiled up at him. "Thank you."

Her smile faded as she realized he was thanking her for her part in finding Kelly. "I'm so happy for you and for Kelly! Oh, and Tony and Kelly! Isn't it great? You're happy for them too, right?"

"Very."

Abby pumped her fist in the air and said, "Yes!" before pulling Gibbs into a hug. Then she kissed him on the cheek and ran outside, eager to congratulate the new couple.

It was another couple of hours before everyone except Tony headed home. Gibbs, Kelly, and Tony were sitting at the picnic table, finishing off one last beer. Gibbs looked at Kelly. "What do you want me to build first? For your room."

She looked at him. "Actually, I was hoping we could build a boat."

"Yeah?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay."

Kelly looked at Tony. "How about it? Want to build a boat with us?"

Tony blinked, looking from her to Gibbs and back. "You want me to join in? Don't you want this to be a family thing?"

Gibbs and Kelly both reached over and head slapped him at the same time. "You are family, remember?" Gibbs said sternly.

Tony looked from one to the other then glanced at Jack, who was sleeping soundly at their feet. "I'd love to build a boat," he said, smiling.

A short time later, Tony leaned over to kiss Kelly, then stood. "Think I'll head home."

Kelly smiled up at him. "Meet us at the diner for breakfast tomorrow?"

"Sure. What time?"

Arrangements made, Tony headed out after shaking Gibbs' hand when the older man offered it. Kelly watched him go, then moved to sit next to her father, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Happy?" he asked her.

"Very happy." She sighed, then sat up and rested her elbow on the table, propping her head up on her hand. "Would Mom have liked Tony?"

Gibbs thought about it for a second, and smiled. "She'd have loved him. She would have wanted to adopt him if she'd met him when I first hired him."

Kelly smiled, then grabbed her beer, raising the bottle toward him. "To Mom."

Gibbs raised his bottle, tapping hers with it. "To Shannon," he said quietly. They both drank, and he set the bottle down and looked at her seriously. "Welcome home, Kelly."

Author's Note: Credit to PewterGrayWolf for sparking the idea for Ducky's story in a comment on another of my stories... that's where the three men, four bottles of gin, garden gnome, and a pink flamingo came from.

Just the epilogue to go.