A/N: So I hadn't planned on this story being anything more than a one-shot but I couldn't get the other side of the story out of my head. Gibbs is harder for me but I hope I've done his thought process justice.

He smiled as he looked down at the baby boy in his arms.

No one had ever accused him of being a softie. People would be more likely to label him as a hard ass, grouchy, son of a bitch. But right now, after Tim had asked him for fatherly advice, he was inches away from crying and he didn't really want to do that. So, he focused his attention on the sleeping baby because he knew if he looked at Tim right now, the tears would start.

It wasn't that he didn't want to shed tears in front of Tim. Tim had seen him cry on more than a few occasions during their incarceration just as he had witnessed Tim's tears. But those tears had been tears of agony. An unwanted reaction to the depravation and pain they had endured at their captors' hands.

There were very few people in the world who had ever seen him so vulnerable. His mother for one. Shannon certainly. Perhaps his father. But when he thought about it, that's where the list ended. He had never been so unguarded with any of his ex-wives, which was probably one of the many reasons why they had ended up becoming ex-wives.

And he kept those barriers in place with his friends too. Tony had certainly never seen him so vulnerable even though they had gone through so much during his career at NCIS. He shared more than most with Ducky but he usually kept their deeper conversations to case related insecurities rather than personal ones. Even Tobias, the man he considered to be his best friend, wasn't that close with him.

But he and Tim had spent two months fighting for their lives together. They suffered stomach gnawing hunger. Illnesses from malnutrition and contaminated water. Pain from beatings at the hands of a vengeful crew and torture at the hands of a maniac who liked the irony of calling himself a doctor. It had been impossible to remain guarded under those conditions.

But it was more than that. They had fought to maintain their sanity and ultimately for their souls over those two months. He had drawn strength from the younger man just as Tim had drawn strength from him. There was no doubt in his mind that he wouldn't have survived with his sanity intact without Tim at his side. And as much as he hated that Tim's loyalty made him step off that helo, he was exceptionally grateful for it as well.

He glanced at Tim. He was watching his daughter sleep with a deep sense of awe and unconditional love for the baby girl. He knew exactly how Tim felt for his newborn daughter because he had felt the same when Kelly had been born.

He blinked back tears and looked at baby John again. He took a deep, steadying breath and let it out slowly. And that's when he realized why he didn't want to cry.

He wasn't holding back tears of joy. He was holding back tears of loss.

As much as he cherished being allowed into such a private moment and welcomed into McGee's family. It was yet another reminder that he had been robbed of this same experience with his own daughter. That he hadn't been able to shake the hand of the man Kelly would have married or witnessed their joy at the birth of their children.

The pain of their loss still cut deeply even after all these years. And just when he thought he was finally beginning to heal, something new cut him to the quick yet again. He felt tears prick at his eyes as the overwhelming emotions threatened to undo him.

Suddenly John yawned. He smiled reflexively at the tiny motion by the newborn.

He watched as John flexed his tiny fingers that just poked out of the swaddling. John looked up at him briefly and he noted that the newborn had the same color eyes as his father before the child closed his eyes and settled back to sleep. He took another breath as he allowed the pain of his loss be replaced by the awe at the creation of a new life.

Tim's words echoed in his mind. 'And this is exactly why I got off that helo.' He glanced at Tim again before he looked at the baby boy. 'I know you would do anything for me, just like I would do anything for you.'

"You do what you need to do for family," he murmured.

"What was that?" Tim asked as he looked at him.

Startled, he looked at Tim. He hadn't realized he had spoken out loud.

He shook his head. "It was nothing," he replied. Tim didn't look convinced but thankfully he didn't press the matter either.

Since coming home, he had found himself enjoying things more. After spending two months waiting for the end, he was happy to still be alive. Grace had called it gratitude and had even spouted off some hokey quotation: 'If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. Be thankful for what you have, you'll end up having more.'

He had joked with her about fortune cookie wisdom even though it resonated with him. For years he had focused on what he didn't have. Losing Shannon and Kelly had left him with a hole in his life. While he knew he could never replace them, he hadn't allowed anyone else in to fill the hole in his life.

Grace had admitted that she wasn't usually fond of spouting platitudes to her patients but she rarely could argue with the wisdom of Oprah. And in this case, she felt that Oprah was right. He had so much to be thankful for. He had gone through hell and lived to tell the tale. Not only that, but he had someone who loved him enough go through hell with him. That ought to be case enough for gratitude.

He had tried to argue that McGee's actions were driven by duty, but Grace hadn't let him finish. Tim had a wife with a baby on the way back home. Duty alone wasn't enough to make him get off that helo. He could deny it all he wanted, but there was love there. It was the same reason that he had given Tim his family watch.

With Grace treating both of them, he wasn't surprised that she knew about the watch or the sentiment behind it.

He had given Tim his father's watch for the same reason that Tim had named his son for his father. After fifteen years and too many close calls, they were more than coworkers. They were family.

He closed his eyes and shook his head lightly. Tim had just told him as much. He just needed to decide whether he could accept it or not. And not just accept the words. He needed to accept the emotion and affection that went with it.

John squirmed again causing him to open his eyes. He looked at the little boy before looking at Delilah, Tim and Morgan. Tim was the kind of man he had imagined for Kelly and Delilah was the kind of woman he had hoped Kelly would grow into: strong, intelligent, caring. As far as adoptive families went, he couldn't do much better. And if they wanted him, he would accept that invitation into their lives.

Suddenly a nurse slipped into the room.

"Oh," she said in surprise before she caught sight of Tim. "I didn't realize you had a visitor," she said softly. "I didn't see you enter."

He met Tim's eye and they shared a brief smile.

"It's all right, this is Agent Gibbs," Tim said. "He's my bo…" Tim cut himself off and looked at him once more before he said, "He's family. Jethro Gibbs."

The nurse relaxed and nodded.

"Nice to meet you Jethro," she said. He smiled as he looked at the baby. "How are we doing?" she asked as she looked down at the children in their arms.

"Good," Tim replied. "They finished their bottles."

The nurse nodded. "I'd expect that they'll need a diaper change in a few hours and probably another bottle right after that. We can take them to the nursery to let you get a full night's sleep if you'd like."

Tim looked at the baby in his arms then at Delilah. He could see the war being waged behind his tired eyes. It was nearly eleven o'clock. Tim hadn't slept more than a few hours in the last thirty-six and in the midst of all that, he had been held hostage while his wife was in labor. It was all catching up to him.

But at the same time, he didn't want to be separated from his children either.

"I understand," the nurse said kindly. "You aren't the first new father who didn't want to be separated from his babies. We're here to help and make sure that you all get off to a good start. And that means the new father not starting off too sleep deprived."

Tim snorted. "Too late for that," Tim replied. "I spent most of last night building the second crib." Tim looked at his daughter before he stubbornly shook his head. "I'd rather they stay here."

"Ok," the nurse replied. "You have extra diapers and I'll bring in two more bottles. If you need a hand when they wake up, just ring for one of us. We'll be happy to help."

Tim nodded as the nurse took the empty bottles and left.

"You should get some sleep Tim," he said after she had gone, pulling the door shut.

"I'm ok, Boss," Tim replied. He stared at the younger man incredulously and eventually Tim's resolve wavered. "I don't want Delilah's sleep to be interrupted."

"Then you should have let the nurse take them to the nursery," he countered.

"You're kidding, right?" Tim asked.

He shrugged lightly. He understood that protective nature. He hadn't wanted to let Kelly out of his sight either.

"I can stay a few hours and keep an eye on them, Tim," he said softly. "You need to sleep."

"You don't have to Gibbs," Tim tried to protest but he fixed another glare on the younger man until he relented. "Thanks," Tim said, the relief evident in his voice.

Nodding, he got up and carefully settled John into the bassinet as Tim did the same with Morgan. He watched as Tim settled into the chair that folded down into a bed. Once he was covered with a blanket, Tim closed his eyes. McGee was sound asleep before the nurse returned with two fresh bottles of formula.

She looked at Tim as she set the bottles into the warmer.

"Been a long day for him," he said with a smile. "And his wife had twins too."

She laughed lightly. "I heard about the incident downstairs. I was sad to hear about Morgan. He was a sweet man." He nodded as she looked at Tim. "I can't imagine how it must have felt to witness all that. Will he be ok?"

He nodded. "Tim's been through worse." She looked at him skeptically and he could tell that nurse was trying to figure out what could be worse than being held hostage and witnessing a man dying. "He'll be fine," he said.

"Don't tell me you plan to stay up all night and watch the kids sleep," the nurse said as she checked in on Morgan and John.

He glanced at the babies before settling his gaze on Tim.

"Just for a little while," he said.

"I could bring in another bed, Agent Gibbs. If you'd like," she offered.

He smiled slightly. "Not planning to stay the night."

"You just wanted to make sure your employee," she cut herself off. "Your family," she said causing him to smile slightly. "Was taken care of." He nodded. "I've seen all kinds of families, Agent Gibbs. And there ain't no such thing as normal. But the good ones, they love each other and care for each. Blood has nothing to do with it. The family we choose is just as important as the ones we're born with."

He followed her gaze to the twins before he looked at Delilah and then Tim.

"Yeah," he replied.

The nurse squeezed his arm and then left.

The family we choose is just as important as the ones we're born with.

He looked at Tim again. He thought that he was only accepting Tim's invitation into his family now but that wasn't right. He had invited Tim into his family months ago when he had given Tim his father's watch. And he had decided to give Tim the watch months before that when Tim and Delilah had announced their engagement after Tim proposed in the elevator at NCIS.

Tim had been hesitant to accept such a personal gift. Tim had even asked if there wasn't someone else he had wanted to give the watch to. They both knew he meant Tony without ever saying it.

He turned and looked out the window at the lights below.

He could understand why Tim might have thought that would have wanted to give the watch to Tony instead. He had always been closer with Tony, personally and professionally. Tony had come to him for personal advice and as his senior field agent, he worked closer with Tony than anyone else on the team. He had never had that kind of relationship with Tim.

During their incarceration, Tim had asked him if he hadn't given the watch to Tony because he left not just NCIS but the country too. At the time, Tim had been doing his best to treat the rope burns on his wrists after a particularly rough session with El Doctor. He knew Tim was trying to take his mind off his injuries, but he was in too much pain for a conversation. He barely managed to shake his head and Tim hadn't pursued the question again.

He smiled sadly. It wasn't what should have happened. After everything she had been through, Ziva had deserved happiness, not death at the hands of Trent Kort. But at least her daughter survived and would have a good life with her father.

But it wasn't what Tony had deserved either. He wasn't sure that Tony had wanted kids, but he had deserved to know about Tali. It hadn't been right for Ziva to keep her from Tony even if he had chosen to walk away from her. Tony had been forced to choose between the woman he loved and the life he had built. Tony chose to return to his life because of the uncertainty whether a relationship with Ziva would work.

But Tony had second guessed himself as they watched Tali sleep. It had felt like the best choice at the time. But if he had stayed, he would have had more time with Ziva and Tali.

He knew better than anyone, you couldn't change the past and he wasn't about to point out that if he had stayed, Tony would have likely died alongside Ziva leaving Tali as an orphan. He did tell Tony that it was up to him to make the best of things and give Tali a good home. Ziva would have wanted that.

Now Tony and Tali were making a life with each other in France and from what he could tell, they seemed to be happy.

He would have other gifts for Tony as Tali grew up. But the watch would never have been a gift for his former senior agent.

If Tim had asked him again, he would have said he didn't give Tony the watch because of the sentiment behind it. It was a gift given at the time of marriage. A gift to remind the wearer that time with their loved ones was precious. He only would give the gift to someone who was marrying their soulmate. And he wasn't sure that Tony ever planned to marry, even if Ziva hadn't died and they had remained together.

He shifted his weight and winced as his knee protested. The knee replacement had fixed a lot of his previous problems but it introduced some new aches and pains.

Glancing back at Tim, he watched as the younger man shifted in his sleep, dislodging the blanket.

He carefully made his way to Tim's side and pulled the blanket up to his chin, smiling slightly as Tim grabbed the blanket and tucked it under his chin.

Not ready to leave just yet, he checked in on the babies before he looked at the chair. He needed to stretch his legs not sit in an uncomfortable hospital chair. He was about to stretch out on the floor when he caught sight of the windowsill. It was about six feet long and about eighteen inches wide. Big enough for him to stretch out.

He made his way to the windowsill and sat down. He stretched out and lay back, pillowing his head with his arm. Taking a deep breath, he sighed as the aches from his knee eased. He glanced at Tim and Delilah but they were both sound asleep.

Over the years, more than a few people had told him that he had treated his team like they were his children. He had scoffed and rebuffed the idea at the time. It was physically impossible for him to be DiNozzo's father and even though it was possible with Tim and Ziva, he had never considered his interactions with his team to be paternal. But there was more to being a father than just being responsible for half the genetic material.

A father taught his children right from wrong. He nurtured them and helped them grow. He supported them, cared for them and protected them. He was someone they could come to for advice or if they needed help. He was there for them in the good times and especially in the bad.

He had worked to teach them to be better agents, to be better people and to protect them. He offered his own kind of encouragement when they needed it and wasn't shy to use tough love when necessary. He was sparing with his praise, but it meant more when given.

When put that way, he had a hard time denying he had acted like a father at times.

He looked at the bassinet that held sleeping twins for a moment before he looked at Delilah. Then he looked at Tim. He was sleeping soundly. The lines of worry, stress and fear had eased and for a moment he saw the innocent young man he had first met in Norfolk, even with ridiculous beard of his.

After that first case with McGee, he had asked about bringing him onto their team in Washington but Morrow had resisted. Tim was too young. He didn't have any field experience. But most of all, he wasn't suited to be an agent on the Major Case Response Team. They got into the thick of things, and Morrow wasn't going to set up Gibbs' team with an agent they couldn't count on.

He knew that Morrow wasn't seeing what he saw in Timothy McGee. He hadn't argued with Morrow but he had rejected every agent the director had suggested to fill the empty desk in his squad. And every time they worked with McGee, he brought up his transfer with Morrow until finally the Director had relented and approved it. It had come with a 'I hope you know what you're doing' warning but he had just smiled and delivered the paperwork to McGee before he could return to Norfolk.

He had brought Tim onto his team because he saw a diamond in the rough, just like he had with Tony. Tim was smart, sometimes too smart for his own good. He was good with tech and while that filled a void they had within their team, he valued the different insight that McGee brought to the table. He had taken great satisfaction in watching Tim grow from the green rookie to the confident field agent and now his senior field agent.

After the first few months, Morrow had grudgingly admitted that McGee's talents had been wasted in Norfolk and that he had been right about the young man. McGee only needed the chance to prove his worth and he had done so in spades. He never told anyone, but hearing Morrow eat crow had given him great satisfaction too.

He glanced over at Tim.

Tim had always been the most normal and well-adjusted of his agents. He grew up in a stable home life with parents that loved him, even if the Admiral had been a tough son of a bitch and deployed often. His father's tough love had been counter-balanced by his mother and grandmother. Together, they had raised a kind, sensitive, and determined son who wanted to be a field agent and fought like hell to become one.

And once he became a field agent, Tim took everything in. He used every opportunity to learn and grow as an investigator. He turned his failures into strengths through hard work and determination and by accepting help from everyone. Tony had taken Tim under his wing and he made sure his Probie became the best damn agent at NCIS aside from Tony himself, of course.

He smiled as he thought about Tony and Tim, the unlikeliest pair of best friends. When Tim had been brought onto the team, it was like he had introduced this yappy little puppy into the mix that Tony didn't quite know how to handle. They were opposites in almost every way and Tony teased the hell out of Tim but somehow, they became best friends willing to go to the ends of the earth for each other. Despite all the teasing and pranks, when one needed the other, they were there. Even if 'there' was raiding a terrorist camp in Somalia or chasing down violent militants in Sudan.

He smiled slightly as he recalled seeing them round the corner with Ziva suspended between them. Both were dirty, bruised and slightly bloodied but they were alive and had never looked better in his eyes.

Tim's courage was probably one of his most underestimated traits. Even though he was an armed federal agent, he didn't seem like the type to be breaking down doors and arresting criminals. But he had displayed his courage time and again since becoming a full-time field agent. And he never hesitated when Tony told him of the plan to go after Saleem or when he needed to go to Sudan. And Tim hadn't hesitated to jump off that helo because he was in trouble. He really admired that in Tim, but it wasn't the trait he admired the most.

That was Tim's loyalty. His loyalty to his family was unquestioned. His sister, his grandmother and even his father. He had even come close to giving up the job he loved for his sister. And once earned, Tim's loyalty to his friends was just as strong.

As a marine, loyalty to his fellow marines had been ingrained in him from the first day at boot camp. And as an impressionable kid, it was a lesson that stuck, and it was a lesson that he valued. Loyalty led to trust and trust was everything in their job. And he trusted Tim without question. The younger man had never given him reason to doubt him.

He glanced at Tim. Maybe that was what he valued most about Tim. He was steady. He was reliable. He wasn't flashy like Tony. He wasn't a walking weapon like Ziva. He wasn't a lone wolf like Torres or an chess-player like Bishop. He was a little of everything but when you needed him, he was there.

Which is why he knew that Tim would order the helo to take off. That part was doing his job to make sure that the kids got to safety. And that's why he knew, even though he had intended to make a stand to protect his team, that Tim wouldn't leave him behind. If he were to be honest about it, he had probably even counted on it.

He glanced at Delilah and for an instant, he felt the guilt that had weighed on him since he woke up with his hands and feet bound, a ringing headache and a newly married, father-to-be at his side. At the time, it hadn't been much consolation that he and Tim had survived their last stand because he knew it was only a matter of time before the militants killed them.

He closed his eyes. When he finally saw Delilah after they returned home, she hadn't been angry. She had spent the first few minutes looking him over and examining the cut by his eye that was still raw even a week after their return home. She made sure he was healing and that he was eating more than just fireplace steak. Then she thanked him for taking care of and protecting Tim.

He had tried to apologize but Delilah had cut him off. She hadn't let her husband apologize and she wasn't going to let him try to apologize either. She understood why they did what they did. They had done their jobs. All that mattered was that they were home safe and sound. She wasn't going to dwell on anything else because she knew from personal experience it didn't do any good.

He had marveled that she could be so forgiving after everything she had gone through over the last two months. And he was glad that Tim had found such an amazing and understanding partner in life.

Their relationship hadn't been smooth by any means. But Tim and Delilah had fought through each of their trials and emerged from each stronger than before. He never said it, but he had always hoped that things would work out for them. He liked Delilah and he felt that she was as good for Tim as he was for her.

Delilah's injury had been a test of their young relationship, especially given Tim's hesitation leading up to attending the gala. But when he saw Tim make his way through the squad room in his tuxedo, he had met Tim's eye and given him his silent approval. Tim had paused for a moment and seemly wanted to ask for advice but he had fixed Tim with a glare that told him to quit stalling and get going. Tim had smiled bashfully, nodded appreciatively and left to be with Delilah.

Perhaps that was why Tim had texted him instead of Tony when he had been at the hospital. They didn't say much while he sat with Tim for a few hours. But as they sat, he watched Tim's posture relax, his breathing even out, and the tension leave his features. Tim hadn't needed platitudes or words of encouragement. He needed time to work through things and his silent affirmation that Tim wasn't alone.

And now, he was here again, offering that same support. It seemed like his presence was enough to calm the younger man, but he had a feeling that some fatherly advice would be in their future, especially if he was going to be grandpa Gibbs.

Tim had never really come to him for advice. He had an independent streak, developed during his father's frequent deployments, that made him want to solve his problems on his own first. Although, Tim also had an infuriating insecurity streak too. Thankfully that had lessened with age and experience. But he had a feeling that it might rear its ugly head as Tim encountered the challenges of fatherhood, and he'd be needed to put Tim back onto an even keel.

He hadn't been on great terms with his father when Kelly had been young and even though there had been times that he had wanted to talk with his father about being a husband and a father, he had been too stubborn to be the bigger man and patch things up with his dad.

His father was gone now and so was Tim's father. Tim would miss out on that too, unless he was willing to stand in and be a surrogate father figure and accept Tim as his surrogate son. He wasn't sure he knew how to be the father figure Tim needed but he was willing to try. He might even be looking forward to it…

Suddenly he felt a hand under his head. Eyes snapping open, he blinked in the darkness before he saw the nurse and relaxed.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I didn't mean to startle you. I was just bringing you a pillow and a blanket."

He tilted his head up and allowed the nurse to slide the pillow under his head. The blanket was sitting on his chest.

"Thanks," he said.

"I don't know many bosses that would spend the night on a hospital windowsill just to make sure their employee slept well," she said causing him to smile as she opened the blanket. "He's lucky to have you."

He glanced at Tim and thought about the two months they spent in Paraguay and the last fifteen years together.

"Pretty sure that luck goes both ways," he said as she spread the blanket over his body.

"Good night Agent Gibbs," she said as she left the room.

With the pillow and the blanket, he was warm and comfortable. And after a full day investigating a case and dealing with Tim's hostage situation, he was tired. He hadn't planned to spend the night in the hospital but right now he wasn't sure there was anywhere else he wanted to be.

He was with his family.

A/N: I keep feeling like there's a third chapter in this story from Delilah's point of view. We'll see if my muse cooperates...