Chapter 4

Nell woke up early, well early for her. She could hear Callen pottering about in the kitchen and she could smell coffee brewing and looked up as Callen walked in with an herbal tea for her.

"Morning." He smiled as he set the tea down on the nightstand.

"No it's not." Nell moaned throwing another dress on a growing pile in the corner.

Callen laughed, "You having a clothing crisis again baby?" he asked.

She shot him a look, "It's not funny I'm meeting your father and I'm gonna look like a hobo!" she exclaimed.

Callen reached over and took out the white flowing maternity dress she had picked out a month ago for meeting his father, "So this one won't do?" he asked.

"I've been looking everywhere for that!" She exclaimed, she grabbed the dress and ran to the bathroom, well, waddled really. But he still thought she looked beautiful.

He walked out to the kitchen and sat at the table drinking his coffee as his grandpa ate his toast. "Is she alright son?" Jack asked.

Callen smiled, "Another case of what she calls baby brain." He said.

Jackson smiled, "Your grandmother was like that at the end of her pregnancy, how much longer do you have left to go?" he asked.

"Another month we think." Callen replied.

"You think?" Jackson asked.

Callen shrugged, "Her doctors say January and I thought she was due in December so who knows?" he smiled as he pulled on his jacket.

Nell rubbed her stomach as she watched the men get ready to go, "Ready?" She asked walking in.

"Wow…you look…WOW!" Callen walked over and kissed her.

"Mr. Gibbs, shall we go?" She asked offering him her arm; Jackson stood up and took it.

"Call me Jack or Grandpa." He offered.

"Well then Jack, shall we go meet your son?" she asked.

Pulling up outside the airport, Callen, Jackson and Nell walked towards arrivals.

"Dad! Nicolai!" Gibbs called as he exited the gate and walked towards them.

Callen turned "Da…!" his voice cracked as he saw his father for the first time in months, he ran towards him and enveloped him in a hug, "I missed you dad." He said.

Gibbs gulped a lump in his throat down, "I missed you too son, you have to fill me in on what you've been doing." He said.

Callen gulped looking proud but guilty at the same time. "Dad I want you to meet my girlfriend, Nell Jones." He moved and for a second Gibbs saw a flash of red and smiled, his son's girlfriend was a red-head. She turned and the shock covered Gibbs' face, she was a heavily pregnant red-head.

"Yours?" he asked his son, all coherent thought having fled at that moment.

"Yeah…I'll get ya bag dad." He snapped and walked to where Gibbs had dropped his gear.

"Mr. Gibbs, I'm Nell Jones." She said holding out her hand. "Nico's girlfriend."

"So I see," he said.

"Did you enjoy your flight, I hope DiNozzo didn't make a mistake with the flight arrangements I sent him, he did promise to behave, but you know DiNozzo."

"I know, I know DiNozzo, but how do YOU know DiNozzo?" he asked.

"I work at NCIS in Los Angeles,"

"You work with Nico?" Gibbs asked thinking instantly of rule 12 and how much trouble it had caused DiNozzo.

"I work in OPS, I am a technical Analyst, I am only occasionally out in the field." She told him.

Gibbs nodded, "Do you love my son?" he asked as they arrived at the car.

"With all my heart." She said honestly looking at him straight in the eye.

Callen caught up with them at the car, "I'll put your bag in the back dad." He said opening the trunk and all but throwing his dad's bag inside.

"Nico?" Gibbs said looking at the angry look on his son's face. He knew he had been shocked but not angry at the surprise he'd just received.

"Later," Callen said and gestured for him to get into the car as he went around helping Nell into the car.

"Get in son, they will explain soon," Jackson said with a smile.

Callen got to Nell's side as Gibbs and Jackson got in the car, "You ok?" he asked concerned as Nell stood rubbing her belly.

She smiled, "Junior's stretching again."

Callen kissed her and rubbed her belly gently, "Hey sport, you wanna give momma a break and be a good kid for daddy?"

He held her for a moment until she nodded, "It's eased off, I think it's those Braxton Hicks things, we should get them for another month."

"You ok to get in the car?" he asked concerned. She nodded and eased herself in.

Driving home Gibbs decided to take the chance of a captive audience and speak.

"Nico, Nell, I wasn't mad. Just surprised." He said.

"I know Mr. Gibbs, we should have told you sooner, and time just got away from us."

"Jethro or just Gibbs, please," He asked.

"Jethro," Nell agreed, "It was important to Nico that we told you first, before anyone." She told him letting him work out exactly what that meant.

"So your family doesn't know either?" Gibbs asked.

"No and apart from Jackson and Hetty neither does the team." Nell informed him, "Like I said, it was and is important that you had the information first. We are going to Skype with my parents this evening, they've met Callen online, but they don't know about the baby yet."

"So how come you didn't call me earlier son?" Gibbs asked gently.

"You were busy with cases," Callen said.

"Not all the time and I would always have made time for this." Gibbs replied.

Callen shrugged, truth was he was worried about upsetting his father or him thinking that Nell wasn't good enough, and he sure as heck was not going to have that conversation in the car with the heavy holiday traffic around them.

Gibbs understood his son wasn't ready to talk so he shifted tactics and focused on Nell as Nico was driving. He had seen her look at her stomach a few times and rubbed it. "Due soon?" he asked.

"About a month according to the doctors." Nell said smiling.

"Boy or girl?" he asked.

Nell shrugged, "Don't have a clue, we wanted to do it the old fashioned way." She said.

"I'm pleased for you both." Gibbs smiled and his smile got wider as Callen grinned and visibly relaxed.

Finally pulling up outside the house, Callen handed his dad his bag and Jackson and Gibbs walked up the path as Nell gasped behind them, "I think we may have to call my parents soon." She said looking down at the small puddle on the floor.

"Why?" Callen asked turning and seeing Nell looking scared.

"Because honey, we're going to be parents…soon."

"I know that, we'll go in and call them then." Callen said not seeing the puddle on the path.

"Actually I think you should get a bag and call the paramedics…honey my water broke."

Callen paled and looked at his dad. "I…Help?!" he breathed.

Gibbs grinned, "Ok, Dad you call the paramedics, Nic, does Nell have a hospital bag packed?" he asked as Jackson took Callen's cell phone and called for assistance.

Callen nodded and ran into the house for Nell's bag. Nell sank to her knees as he walked outside.

"I think I've been in labor longer than I thought." She panted as the urge to push overcame her. "G! I gotta push!" Nell panicked.

Callen turned white at that, since they had gotten together and they had learned his name she had only called him G twice, both times his life had been in danger and she had panicked.

"Its ok baby, I'm here." He said sitting on the grass next to her and grasping her hand.

Eric sat up in ops as the Los Angeles team had its Christmas party. He was sad as Nell hadn't made it back for Washington D.C. for Christmas although she had promised to Skype with him, only she was late.

He looked forlornly at the screen as an alert popped up.

He dropped the paper cup of Egg Nog he held in his hand into the trashcan and ran to the balcony.

"SAM! KENZ! DEEKS!" He yelled not even stopping to whistle.

They looked at the panic on Eric's face and ran to the operation center.

"Mr. Beale, what is the meaning of this?" Hetty asked

"A 911 call just came in from Callen's house." Eric said.

"Shooting?" Sam asked. "Can you get a visual?" he asked.

"No, not a shooting, a…a…baby?" Eric said questioning the information on the screen.

"You sure you have the right address?" Deeks asked,

"I'm sure; I have a program that flag's up 911 calls to your home addresses."

Hetty walked past them and picked up the phone. "Mr. Gibbs, congratulations, I think I have to fill in your team now. Eric had a program to keep an eye on all your addresses," she waited as Callen's voice indistinct and angry was heard the other end. "No Nicolai, I did not know about it, but given your propensity to get shot it probably wasn't a bad thing. You head off with Miss Jones and I will fill in the team…and Nicolai, Good luck." Hetty said, she put the phone down and turned to the team.

"Well," she said as all eyes turned to her.

"Nell?" Eric squeaked.

Hetty sighed. "This was not the way Mr. Gibbs and Miss Jones wanted you all to find out, but yes, they are in a relationship and I would assume by the tenor of the call I just had with Nicolai, they are about to become parents."

"Which hospital Hetty?" Sam said quietly.

"UCLA Medical Plaza." Hetty told them and watched as the group left to find Callen and Nell.

Hetty turned to Eric, "Mr. Beale, are you not going with them?" She asked.

Eric shook his head, "She was my best friend Hetty, she lied to me, I think if she had wanted me there she would have called me or at least told me she was pregnant, you should go though. Callen will want you there." He said turning back to his screens and ignoring the sad look that Hetty shot him.