He stood there staring at the baby in front of him drinking in the sight of his really little boy for what only felt like seconds but in reality was close to an hour before a hand on his arm shook him out of his reprieve.

He turned round ready with his trademark glare to sneer at the person who dared interrupt his time with his son but stopped short as he realised the hand belonged to the wheelchair bound, exhausted but still beautiful form of his wife. "Hey J" she whispered, before he had chance to ask her what she was doing out of bed. "I came to see our baby, so move out the way and let me look." this time she said it with her fake serious voice alerting Gibbs to the fact that he was stood directly in front of the plastic box holding the couples child and therefore blocking his wife's view of the baby. "Oh, sorry Shan" – apologies were never a weakness between him and his wife, "I guess you want to see how beautiful the baby we made is huh?" he joked teasingly before stepping back and allowing his wife the first sight of the tiny yet perfectly formed baby she had given birth to.

He watch her as she looked at the baby and pondered how his always immaculately dressed wife had never looked more beautiful than at that moment with her mused her and crumpled hospital gown she set eyes on her baby. Her eyes filled with tears and she reached out a trembling hand to touch the baby who had begun to move restlessly inside his prison calming him the moment they touched. "Hey little one" she almost – but not quite- cooed leaving him feeling almost like an intruder on the private so very intimate moment between mother and son. He almost stepped away but Shannon's hand settling in his grounded him in front of the incubator. "Mommy and daddy are here now baby, so you just keep fighting" She told the baby in a stern yet motherly tone as she and her husband held hands in front of his bed and prayed that their baby was strong enough to do just that.

One week later

"Come on Gibbs"` Shannon said exasperated, using his last name that she now shared as she always did when she was annoyed with him " We have to think of a name eventually, he's a week old already and his in incubater still says baby boy Gibbs. It's getting cruel."

"I know, I know" he answered with a sigh "but nothing sounds right, and it's just I want it to be perfect." Nothing he could think was good enough, special enough for his boy. His sons' name couldn't just be nice, it had to be special.

"What about, what about Anthony" she questioned tentatively, unsure how the suggestion would go down with her husband.

"Anthony" he mused, his mind flashing back to the other Anthony he had once known. His grandfather. They had been so close he and his pops and as he remembered the brave, funny, generous man he had known in the past he couldn't help but imagine the brave, funny man his son could be in the future. "It's perfect" he whispered gazing into Shannon's eyes his voice full of emotion before drawing his wife into a hug and holding her close.

Two months later

The journey from that day had been along hard one with the good days coming few and far between and the horrible heart breaking moments seeming to come 10 times as much. It seemed that whatever could go wrong with his baby had done; from a very severe chest infection leaving him barely hanging on to his fragile grip on life to a fever induced seizure That Gibbs had been present to witness. God it had been horrific Jethro remembered as he had been able to do nothing but stand back and watch his tiny fragile son shake and be injected with medications left and right before going disturbingly limp. That day still haunted his nightmares but Jethro couldn't help but feel that no matter how bad the 2 months since his son had come bursting into his life had been the best of his life, and today the day he had been waiting for since the day his boy had been born 64 days ago had come.

Today he was finally going to be able to hold his son in his arms without the baby being connected to the breathing machine Gibbs loved and loathed in equal measure. Loved because it and the other machines his son relied on had kept him alive all these weeks and loathed because it was a constant reminder that his son wasn't healthy and it tarnished even the most perfect moments he had with his son, like the first time he had held his son ever with a sting of hurt. But today, today, it would just be him and his son and all the other machines and doctors and nurses could fade away to nothing.

However as Gibbs stepped into the hospital elevator alone- Shannon had gone home to sleep after spending the night by their babies cot (cot now, the incubator was finally gone) he couldn't help the twinge of nerves in his stomach. They had attempted this before and it hadn't worked. He had been there last week as his sons attending doctor (Dr stone) had removed the ventilator and could still remember the thrill of fear he felt as his stubborn son - he must get that from Shannon- had refused to breathe despite him doing fine when the doctors practiced turning the ventilator setting way down and had begun to turn blue leaving the doctor no choice to put him back on the machine.

He was shaken out of his thoughts as the elevator opened at the NICU floor (floor 8) and he smiled quietly as he heard a baby's cry realising that today he might finally hear his sons. Although the tough marine would never admit it he almost skipped over to the open cot that was his sons new home, before glancing round in fear when he realised his son wasn't in it. All sorts of terrible thoughts began whirling in his heads, what if his son had taken a turn for the worst, what if someone had kidnapped him! He turned and was about to shout for the nurse that usually looked after his son (Geoff) when that very same man put a comforting arm on his shoulder "Relax man" he soothed, "I've got mini Gibbs right here and he's just fine" he comforted, almost laughing at the relieved face on Jethro. It was then that Gibb's noticed his now not so tiny baby (he was 5 pounds now!) cradled more gently than should be possible but always was in the giant nurses arms. "Ready to hold him Daddy?" Geoff teased cheekily and at his emphatic nod he continued "well go sit in the chair then!

And Gibbs immediately complied almost running to the rocking chair in the corner of the room- thinking as he sat in it that he really had to make one for his sons still not finished nursery – Shannon hadn't wanted to jinx anything and refused to let him decorate until they were positive their baby would be fine. But now he really should crack on with it, it couldn't be too much longer till they got to take him home could it he thought.

He shook his head and returned his thoughts and focus to his baby, his tony (Anthony was a bit too big for a baby his son's size) who had just been placed in his arms. And once he was focused on him nothing could tear his attention away. His blue eyes, shining with love locked on his son's deep green and he felt the unconditional love he had almost become accustomed to since his son had been born flow through him. He continued to stare mesmerized at his son and began to rock slowly as his eyes followed down the babys face looking, committing to memory and simultaneously falling in love with ever mark, crease and freckle of his sons face especially his rosebud mouth now free from tubing which he had never properly seen before. And as the marine turned father slowly rocked his son to sleep he couldn't recall a time were he had ever felt more proud of his son who continued to breathe perfectly the moniter he was attached to showing this time the baby was doing fine with just his lungs to rely on. He almost couldn't believe the baby he held in his arms now was his, he was just too beautiful and as he rocked the finest creation he had ever made in his arms he couldn't remember ever feeling happier or more in love.

TBC

AN: I'm sorry for the wait hopefully the next chapter will be quicker. Please read and review. I would love your opinion, and ideas on how to continue. Should I jump to tony as a child or continue him as a baby? Thanks x