Trust, but Verify

by Kesterpan

A mysterious ping in Abby's lab has Gibbs and the team revisiting his past in a way no one could have predicted.

25. Fourteen Years Later

Family

Gibbs set down the brush and checked the name he'd just finished painting on the stern of the small wooden sailboat, holding it up in the late-afternoon sun shining through the basement window. Satisfied with how it looked, he set the miniature replica of the boat he'd built with Kelly and Tony on the workbench, balancing it on blocks of wood. He started putting tools away but stopped when he heard the front door slam.

"Boss!" He heard feet running across the house, coming toward the basement steps. "Boss!"

Grinning, Gibbs put down the tools he held and leaned back against the bench. Four feet of seven-year-old boy rounded the corner and came flying down the stairs. "Boss!"

"Heard you the first time, Jase," Gibbs said, hurrying up the stairs just as Jason made it to the bottom. "And you know better than to come running down the stairs like that, kiddo." He smiled at the boy to take any sting out of the words, turning just in time to catch the little red-headed girl who was about to try to run down the stairs after her big brother. "Hey, Lisa!"

The little girl grinned at him as he swung her up, perching her on his hip. "Bawth!"

Gibbs laughed. "Am I ever going to get you two to call me Grandpa?" He carried Lisa down the stairs and set her on her feet.

Lisa said "No!" loudly while Jason wrinkled his nose in a manner very similar to his mother. "Why would we wanna do that? Every kid has a grandpa! I'm the only one at school with a boss." Jason grinned up at Gibbs, who was once again struck by the boy's resemblance to his father, down to the eye and hair color. He reached over to ruffle the thick hair.

"What's so exciting that you had to come running in here as if you're being chased by a herd of elephants?" He laughed again as Lisa started jumping up and down; elephants were her favorite animals.

"Thummer!" Lisa yelled.

Jason mock scowled at her. "You don't even go to school. Every day is summer for you!" Lisa scowled back, and Jason laughed, ruffling her hair the way Gibbs had ruffled his a moment ago. He looked up at his grandfather. "She's right, Boss! Today was the last day of school, and it's my birthday!"

Gibbs shook his head. "Your birthday isn't for another month."

"Summer is just a really long birthday," Kelly said as she came down the stairs, smiling at Gibbs and her kids.

"Exactly," Jason said, nodding seriously, before grinning at Gibbs.

Kelly walked over to Gibbs and hugged him. "Hi, Dad."

"Kells." He returned the hug. "I could have picked Jase up from school."

She looked down at her son. "On the last day of first grade? No way I was missing that." Kelly stepped back, watching as the children started exploring the basement. "Besides, my vacation started at noon." She bit her lip as Lisa tried to take a wooden toy plane from Jason, who held it above her reach. The squabbling started almost immediately.

Both Kelly and Gibbs looked up as Tony came down the stairs, watching his son and daughter argue. His eyes met Gibbs'. "I swear, it's like watching a mini-me and a mini-Kate."

Gibbs chuckled at that. "You two did have a sibling rivalry going."

Tony widened his eyes and nodded, then looked seriously at Kelly. "Dr. Hawthorne."

"Very Special Agent DiNozzo."

Kelly and Tony gazed at each other as the children forgot about the plane and moved closer. "They're gonna get all kissy again," Jason grumbled.

Gibbs turned to him, holding his hand out for the plane, which the boy readily gave him. Gibbs set the plane next to the boat.

Still gazing at his wife, Tony asked, "Should we follow Jason's suggestion, Dr. Hawthorne?"

Kelly tapped her index finger against her chin. "It does have merit, Very Special Agent DiNozzo."

Gibbs and Jason looked at each other, simultaneously rolling their eyes. "Let's go find Gremlin and Elflord," Gibbs suggested. Jason bolted for the stairs; Gibbs reached for Lisa's hand, smirking at Tony and Kelly as he walked past them. He helped Lisa up the stairs, glancing back at his daughter and son-in-law, happy to see them as passionate about each other twelve years into their marriage as they had been that first time he'd caught them on his couch.

The kids raced ahead of him and into the yard, which had a large swing set and jungle gym in the back corner. Gibbs had started building it as soon as he got the news that Kelly was pregnant with Jason.

An excited bark heralded the two Australian shepherds that became part of the family after Jack died three years prior. Gremlin was a blue merle similar in color but not pattern to Jack. He was the older of the two by about a year and was particularly devoted to Jason and Lisa. Elflord, copper and white in color with golden eyes, had chosen Gibbs as his person. Gremlin often went with the DiNozzos to the apartment Tony still kept in the city, but Elflord stayed with Gibbs, hiking and fishing from the cabin when Gibbs wasn't home splitting his time between the basement and the kids.

Gibbs sat at the picnic table, watching the kids and dogs romp through the yard, proud of Jason for watching out for Lisa, making sure the dogs didn't accidentally knock her over. After a while, Jason walked over to him, leaving Lisa lying in the grass with the two dogs curled protectively next to her.

"Did you finish it, Boss?" Jason sat next to Gibbs on the bench, looking up at him.

"Mmm hmm."

"Are we gonna do it tonight?"

"I think so. We just need to see if your parents have any other plans."

"I'll go ask them!" Jason popped up off the bench, but didn't get far before Gibbs' arm came around him.

"Hold up, Jase. We should leave them alone for a little while. Your dad worked late last night."

Jason nodded. "Mom said he was tracking a bad guy." He thought about it for a moment. "Boss, are you and Dad superheroes?"

Gibbs smiled. Jason had asked that question every so often over the past few years, once he found out what his father and grandfather did for a living. "What do you think?"

Jason sighed. "I know you're Navy cops… but you could be superheroes."

"Don't wear capes."

"You did for Halloween!"

Gibbs smiled. Jason and Lisa had bugged him about hosting a Halloween party for the entire team. Gibbs had been Superman, Tony Batman, and Kelly Cat Woman. Jason himself had worn a Robin costume, thrilled to be his dad's sidekick, and Lisa had been a miniature Wonder Woman. They'd had the entire team over: Tim and Delilah with their twins Johnny and Morgan, who were around the same age as Jason, and Jimmy and Breena with their daughter Victoria, two years older than Jason. The kids were best of friends, essentially cousins, and spent a lot of time together throughout the year. The newest agents on the team, Ellie Bishop and Nick Torres, had been there as well. Ducky had been traveling but had said hello to everyone via Zoom, keeping the kids captivated at the screen for a while, telling them stories of his encounters in Southeast Asia. Abby had popped in briefly before running off to take charge of a party at a DC homeless shelter.

"That was for fun. Besides, capes would get in the way of chasing suspects."

Jason sighed.

"Not enough to have a boss, huh? You need a superhero boss?"

The kid grinned at him. "I would be the coolest kid in second grade!"

Gibbs snorted. Jason had his father's ability to charm everyone he met. "You're already going to be the coolest kid in second grade."

Gremlin ran over with a tennis ball, dropping it into Jason's lap.

"Better go play with him," Gibbs advised.

Jason mock-sighed. "Yeah, or he'll pester me." He jumped up off the bench, throwing the ball, then running after Gremlin to engage in an energetic game of keep-away.

Kelly and Tony walked out onto the patio a few minutes later. Gibbs turned to look at them, raising an eyebrow at their disheveled appearance. "Tryin' for number three?"

They glanced at each other, then Tony grinned at Gibbs as Kelly laid a hand over her lower abdomen. "Well… " she said, then simply smiled and waited.

Gibbs stared at her for a moment, then got to his feet and pulled her in for a hug. "Congratulations," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Thanks," she responded. "We're excited… but are you going to want to take care of another one?" Kelly laid her hand on Gibbs' arm, concerned.

Gibbs reached up to tap her lightly on the head. "Missed too much when you were growing up. Why do you think I retired when Jason was born? I'll take everything I can get with my family." He hugged her to his side. "I still keep my hand in consulting, you know that. Win-win." He reached a hand out to Tony, who grasped it to shake; Gibbs pulled him in for a hug, getting an 'oof' from his former SFA as he crashed into him.

Tony returned the hug enthusiastically, then looked at his wife. "He just loves showing up at the Navy Yard with a baby and a diaper bag. Shocks everyone every time."

Kelly laughed. "Well, you'll have plenty of opportunities to do that early next year. You can take all the kids when they're off from school!"

Gibbs looked slightly perturbed. "Maybe Abby could help out," he mused.

"If she's there," Tony warned. "You know she spends more time teaching and working with her different charities than in the lab these days. Kasie's filling in just fine, but I don't think she's ready to juggle crime-solving and baby-sitting." He pointed at Gibbs. "And my kids are not hanging out in Autopsy while Jimmy's working on a body!"

Gibbs and Kelly smirked at each other. "It was just the one time," Gibbs protested. "And Jason was ten months old… he didn't know what was going on!"

Tony rolled his eyes. Kelly laughed, kissed him on the cheek, and went to play with the kids and the dogs.

The two men sat back down at the table. "How's Bishop?" Gibbs asked, turning to face Tony. He'd met the young agent when she joined the MCRT as a probie when Gibbs retired, and had worked with her on several occasions while consulting. Tony and Kelly socialized with the team often, so Gibbs had gotten to know her outside of work as well.

Tony held his hand out and tilted it back and forth. "Mostly good, but divorce sucks, as I'm sure you remember. And finding out your husband was involved in espionage? Sucks that much more."

"Affecting her security clearance?"

"For now. It's not an issue for most of our cases, but she does end up sidelined on some of them. I've leant her out to other teams a few times, taken on a temp if needed. But Tim and Nick can usually handle everything." He smiled as he watched Lisa and Kelly get into a tickle fight. "Nick's been super supportive of Bish. Can tell it's helping."

Gibbs thought about that. "He's always had a soft spot for her. You enforcing rule twelve?"

Tony snorted. "Amended it years ago, not that it's been needed so far. Don't let relationships affect work, or you're off the team." He stretched, then looked at Gibbs, his expression serious. "If they do end up involved, it'll be Tim's problem anyway," he said, a bit of hesitation in his voice.

GIbbs' brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Tony gestured toward his family. "It's like what you said… missing out on too much. And with another one coming this winter… it's tough being MCRT team lead and being there for my family. So… talked to Vance. There's a new Assistant Director position being created here in DC… SecNav is expanding some of Vance's responsibilities, which is going to require more politics and more travel on his part, which is fine with him and Jackie now that the kids are older. I'll be in charge of more of the day-to-day operations, including training as well as the teams. So, like you, I'll keep my hand in."

Gibbs sat quietly, sorting out his mixed feelings. He'd envisioned Tony leading the team until retirement. He knew Kelly worried when Tony was on a dangerous case, but would never say anything to him about it, just as Tony never interfered in her professional life, though he worried about her when she was on large-animal farm calls. "You're a damn good team lead, Tony. Made me proud the past eight years. You'll be a great AD too."

Tony's face relaxed into a relieved smile. "Thanks, Gibbs." He leaned forward, watching the kids and grinning as Lisa ran shrieking from Elflord, who trotted along behind her, clearly confused about the sounds she was making. "Tim's taking over for me. He's ready. Ellie's prospective SFA… just needs the investigation to wrap up and get her security clearance. She and Tim are looking through files to choose a fourth."

"Nick relaxing into the team yet?" Even though Nick had been on the team for almost three years, since Ziva left, he still sometimes chafed at office work.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, he is. Ellie grounds him. If they do get together, I suspect it will make them even more effective on the job, not less."

Gibbs was a little skeptical, but he knew that was due to his own experience with Jenny, and neither Ellie nor Nick were anything like he and Jenny had been. "Heard from Ziva?"

Tony shook his head. "I haven't talked to her in almost a month now, but I know she and Sammie talked just the other day." He glanced over at Gibbs and grinned at the mock-glare. "Met her as Sammie. Tried calling her Kelly when we first got together, it just didn't work. Deal with it." Laughing, he dodged the head slap. "I'll go tag in, Sams can give you the update."

Tony got up, sneaking quietly behind Lisa, grabbing her and tossing her into the air while she shrieked with joy. It was one of her favorite games. The dogs both barked at him; neither one thought that behavior was safe.

Kelly jogged over to the table. "Three is going to be a handful," she commented happily.

"Gonna find out gender ahead of time?"

She shook her head. "Nope. We both like the surprise." She pushed her hair back from her face. "Tony said you asked about Ziva."

He nodded.

"She's good! She and Adam are planning a trip back east later this summer, so we'll get to meet Tali."

"Eli giving them any trouble?"

"Other than some sarcasm now and then, apparently not. Ziva said he even flew to Seattle to visit and meet the baby."

Gibbs relaxed a little. Eli David had been furious when Adam Eshel resigned from Mossad and became an American citizen, marrying Ziva soon after. Ziva had left NCIS as soon as she found out she was pregnant, and they had moved across the country, where they both taught self-defense as well as their respective skills and knowledge of international affairs to college and graduate students. "It'll be good to see them."

Kelly nodded. "I miss her. But it's great to hear her so happy." She watched everyone romping in the yard and sighed quietly. "I miss Jack."

Gibbs nodded. The relationship between Jack and Kelly had been special, and while Gremlin and Elflord filled a void, it wasn't the same. He reached out and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. She sighed again, then cleared her throat and looked at him, resting her elbow on the table and propping her head on her hand. "You finish it?"

"Yup."

"Tonight, then?"

"Good a time as any. Get it done before we leave for Stillwater."

Kelly nodded. "You're sure you want to deal with two kids, two dogs, and your father by yourself?"

Gibbs laughed. "Dad'll be thrilled to see everyone. We'll be fine. And you and Tony deserve some time away together"

"No fights with Ed."

"Nah. He's mellowed a lot. Retired now, more grandkids than he can count."

Kelly's eyes widened. "I hope you don't think I can compete."

Grinning, he shook his head. "Ed's got three daughters and two sons. You and Tony would have to be real busy."

Kelly laughed. "Thanks, but no thanks." Sitting back, she looked at him thoughtfully. "Think you'll be able to convince Jack to move here?"

"Doubt it. I'll keep trying, though. The kids are a good draw."

"Tony and I can work on him too, before we leave on our road trip."

"Still no itinerary?"

"Nope. We're being completely impulsive. But you know we'll check in several times a day." She sat up, yawning. "I might go lie down for a bit."

"You okay?"

She reached over to squeeze his hand. "I'm fine. Lots of paperwork the last few days, making sure my cases are good to go for the others. That, and sometimes this little one takes a lot out of me." She stood, stepping over the bench. "Got any plans for tomorrow besides packing? We were thinking of getting all the kids together."

"No plans."

Kelly smiled. "Great." She gestured toward the rest of her family, all lying on the ground, laughing about something. "Go get in there."

Smiling, Gibbs got up to do just that.

Goodbye

Jason held the newly finished boat in his hands. "This is really good, Boss."

"Thanks, Jace."

Lisa reached up to trace the name painted on it. "What's it say?"

Jason pointed at each letter. "J - O - A - N - N. Joann."

Lisa's brow furrowed. "Gramma Joann is gone?"

Jason nodded seriously. "Uh huh."

"Oh." She looked at the boat for a moment, then ran over to Gremlin and plunked down on the ground next to him, using the brush she carried on his fur. The dog rolled over on his side and presented his belly for her to work on.

Kelly sat forward from where she'd been resting in Tony's arms, and reached out to run her fingers through Jason's hair. "You okay, kiddo?"

Jason nodded. "Grandma Joann was nice to me, but we didn't spend that much time with her. So I'm not really all that sad." He looked at his mother. "I don't think Lisa cares very much."

Kelly gave him a gentle smile. "Your sister is very young and she hasn't seen Grandma Joann in a while." She leaned forward, planting a kiss on his forehead. "Why don't you put the boat on the firepit?"

Jason walked over to the firepit and carefully placed the boat on top of the woodpile Gibbs had put in place earlier in the evening. Then he returned to the picnic table, sitting next to his mother and leaning on her. "I was sadder when Jack died."

Kelly hugged him. "Me too."

Jason sighed quietly, then sat up. "Why didn't Grandma Joann like Boss?"

Kelly glanced at Tony, who shrugged. "If he's old enough to ask…"

Kelly nodded, then looked seriously at her son. "Remember I told you that my mom died in a car crash when I was just a little older than you?"

Jason nodded. "Grandma Shannon. Lisa has her name."

"That's right. Lisa Shannon DiNozzo. Lisa is for Lyssa, my adoptive mom. And you're Jason William DiNozzo, after my adoptive dad."

"'Cause you were in the crash too, and there was a mistake and Boss thought you were gone. And you didn't remember who you were until Dad found you."

"You got it. Well… you know Grandma Joann was my grandmother, your great-grandmother, and she was Shannon's mom."

Jason nodded again.

"Grandma Joann always felt that Boss could have saved Shannon if he'd been home instead of deployed overseas. So she never forgave him."

Jason's brow furrowed. "But that's silly."

Tony leaned forward, looking earnestly at his son. "Contrary to popular opinion, you kids do not have a monopoly on silly."

Frowning, Jason stared at him. "What's that mean?"

Gibbs chuckled. "It means adults can be just as silly as kids… sometimes even more so because they should know better."

Jason shook his head. "I think I'll stay a kid."

Grinning at Tony, Gibbs spoke up. "Your dad stayed a kid for forty years, so you should be good at it."

Tony made a face at him before getting up and joining Lisa and dogs on the ground near the fire pit; Jason followed him.

Kelly scooted closer to Gibbs and rested her head on his shoulder. "It's sad that she couldn't get past it."

Gibbs took her hand, squeezing it gently. "She probably could have if she'd wanted to."

"After all that time in the hospital? Not even the kids could get her to let it go… so she lost out because we weren't going to leave them alone with her, ever. Especially not after I caught her saying nasty things about you to Jason."

Gibbs tilted his head. "Is that why? I figured you didn't trust her because she killed one man and wanted to poison me."

Kelly shook her head. "She would never have hurt the kids. But I wasn't going to let her shatter Jason's illusions about you, and it irritated me so much that she insisted on calling Lisa Shannon just because of her red hair."

"What do you mean, illusions? Jason's hero worship is completely justified." Gibbs grinned as Kelly poked him in the side.

They were quiet for a while, until Kelly spoke softly. "You're sure you want to keep taking care of the kids?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Kelly shrugged. "You're alone. If you didn't have the kids so much, you could find someone to spend time with…"

Gibbs laughed. "When I don't have the kids, I'm at the cabin with Elflord. What's that tell you about my priorities?"

Kelly sighed, but didn't say anything.

"Kells."

She looked at him.

"I see at least one of you every day. Tony at work when I'm consulting - and I know he brings me in more than he really needs to, by the way. I love the kids, and I'm perfectly happy spending time with them. Retirement is about spending your time doing the things you want to do… and being a part of this family is what I want to do."

Kelly smiled. "The kids really do worship you. As long as we're not taking advantage…"

"Never. Retiring to help take care of Jason when he was born was one of the best decisions I ever made."

"Okay." She snuggled into his side and sighed happily.

Gibbs watched Jason, waiting for him to be ready to light the fire. Of everyone there, Jason had the best relationship with Joann, even as limited as it was. "How's Kayla doing at work?"

"She's great. Juggling veterinary school with the job is tougher on her than it was on me, but she's handling it well. Jackie sends me a thank you note once a month, you know… for showing her an alternative to becoming an agent."

"Leon stopped sending you flowers?"

Kelly laughed. "Only until Jackie realized it. She made him start up again."

They sat quietly for a few moments. "Senior and Tina still palling around?" Gibbs asked.

"Is that what they're calling it these days?" Kelly giggled. "Aunt Tina has that man completely whipped. Tony gets a huge kick out of it."

Gibbs chuckled again. After a few more minutes, he asked another question. "How do you feel about Tony's promotion?"

"Deliriously happy. And sad. I know how much he loves field work. But it will be great to have him home more often… missing out on some of the kids' milestones bothered him more than he wanted to admit." Kelly sat up as Jason walked toward them. "And I know he'll find a reason to get involved with the MCRT now and then." She focused on her son. "What's up, Jase?"

"Can we do it now?"

"Sure can," Gibbs said. He stood and took the hand Jason held out. Tony got up, carrying Lisa, who watched everyone with sleepy eyes. Kelly walked next to Gibbs.

They gathered around the firepit, and Gibbs took a small box of matches out of his pocket. "You want to do the honors, Jason?"

Jason nodded. He took the box, pulling a single match out, striking it the way Gibbs had taught him, then walked a few steps closer to the fire pit and dropped it in, immediately stepping back to Gibbs' side. The pretreated wood at the bottom of the pit caught quickly, and it wasn't long before the small boat started to burn.

They all watched the flames. Jason's expression was serious, but not sad. Kelly wrapped an arm around Gibbs' waist. "For Mom," she said quietly.

Gibbs put an arm around her shoulder, taking Jason's hand again as the boy reached for him. "For Shannon," he whispered, looking up at the night sky while the rest of his family watched the little boat named Joann burn.

Once the boat was gone, Jason let go of Gibbs' hand and went back to the dogs, curling up on the ground and resting his head on Gremlin's shoulder. Tony walked over to Kelly; Lisa was fast asleep on his shoulder. "I'll put her to bed," he said, glancing over at Jason. "He okay?"

Kelly nodded. "I think so. Dad and I will stay out here with him and the dogs for a while longer."

Tony kissed her cheek. "Back soon." He headed into the house.

Gibbs and Kelly returned to the picnic table. "I texted everyone earlier this afternoon, so we'll have a full house. Jimmy and Breena are bringing fruit salad and a veggie platter, and Tim and Delilah are bringing desserts. Tony said he'll grill burgers and hot dogs if you don't want to do it."

Gibbs made a face. "Tony is not grilling."

"He's getting better at it," Kelly protested, laughter in her voice.

"We'll leave him in charge of the kids," Gibbs stated firmly.

"He'll love that." Kelly smiled. "I chose well."

"We both did."

Kelly nodded. "That's true. If you hadn't hired him out of Baltimore, I never would have met him. And maybe I'd never have remembered…" Her voice trailed off.

Gibbs pulled her closer. "I did, and you did, and life is pretty damn good."

"Yes, it is." Kelly leaned on him again. "Everyone's coming over around noon tomorrow. I was thinking of a breakfast picnic with Mom?"

They'd done that many times over the years. Gibbs would order take out for everyone from Elaine, and they'd sit on the grass next to Shannon's grave. The stone had been redone so Samantha Kendall's name was now on it, replacing Kelly's. They'd contacted the one living relative they could find; he had never met her, and didn't see the need to change her final resting place. At some point during their time there, Kelly and Gibbs would each get a little time alone to talk to Shannon. The picnics had given Gibbs happier associations with the cemetery, and helped him feel closer to his wife.

Tony came back outside, walking quietly over to check on his son and the dogs, then joining them on the bench. "Lisa's out, and Jason's fast asleep over there."

Kelly reached for his hand; the two of them looked at each other, smiling.

Gibbs leaned over to look at them, grinning. "You two go on in. I'll put Jason to bed soon."

"Okay," Kelly said, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. "Love you, Dad."

"You too, Kells."

She headed inside, and Tony said good night to Gibbs.

"Take care of her, son."

Tony smiled broadly, the way he always did on the rare occasions when Gibbs called him that. "On it, Boss."

Gibbs settled back, watching the fire and dogs' legs twitching in their sleep and his grandson, silently thanking whatever had inspired Abby to run a surveillance program on his behalf, and feeling grateful to his team, who'd cared enough about him to follow the lead that brought his daughter back into his life.

The End

Author's Note: And done. This story was an antidote for me, getting me through some difficult times. There will probably be more in this 'verse... I already have some notes for some 'missing scenes' to fill in some of what happened in those fourteen years, and I wouldn't be surprised to see some of them show up in the sort of near future. In the meantime, I am working on other stories, including *gasp* the next FIOverse story. Thanks for all the comments and encouragement - I know posting WIPs is frustrating for some readers, but the feedback makes me a better writer.