A/N Thank you for you reviews faves and alerts, I am grateful to each and every one of you.

This is the penultimate chapter of Family Ties and I hope you enjoy it. :)

Disclaimer...It's in the post!

Chapter 15

Jimmy sat on his bed his bag packed feeling much better than he had in the last few days. His wound was still sore and his body stiff but he hadn't had any more hallucinations. Gibbs had been in ever since he had got back and apart from coffee runs and head calls he had not left his brothers side.

"You ready to go?" Gibbs asked as he walked in the room.

Jimmy looked up he still had rings around his eyes and looked tired, "Yeah, I'm ready." He stood up and Gibbs brought in the wheelchair.

"Aww. Leroy a wheelchair!" he moaned.

"Ya wanna go home?" Gibbs asked with a smirk, right then Jimmy reminded him of DiNozzo every time he had to check him out of the hospital.

"Yeah!" Jimmy gave a small grin and sat tiredly in the wheelchair.

Gibbs pushed him to his car and the both of them set off for home.

Pulling up outside the house, Jimmy was surprised to see Abby's car in the driveway and Gibbs grinned at his little brother. "I managed to talk her out of a welcome home party, but not out of being here when you got home," He said as the two of them walked up the steps.

Gibbs opened the door and Abby came flying out hugging Jimmy.

"You're back!" She exclaimed hugging him.

"Ow, hey Abbs." Jimmy smiled

"I'm sorry did I hurt you?" Abby asked looking worried.

"Just a little but its fine, have you been here long?" Jimmy asked.

"I've been with Jackson all day, we made gumbo for you." She told him smiling.

Jimmy tightened his grip on his bag as Jackson came out.

"James, I'm glad your back son." Jackson said.

Jimmy was please to see his dad, but the one thing that was bothering him did not go away. "I'm sorry sir." Jimmy said as Gibbs sat him down on the couch.

"Good lord what for son?" Jackson asked.

"For not…..for letting Bruce…I." Jimmy stumbled over what he needed to say.

"James Alvin Gibbs, if the next words out of your mouth are to apologize for any of this God help me I'll…" Jackson started.

"I should have warned you, I should have told you about him and Uncle John, I could have stopped him." Jimmy said not daring to face his father. "I should have gone with mom to her meeting, and then you wouldn't have been hurt."

Jackson walked across the room and sat next to his son, "Jimmy, you are not to blame for what happened and the only thing I am concerned about is the fact that you are safe. You are not responsible for your mother either, Leroy has entered her into a rehab center and I am going to pay for her treatment."

Jimmy looked up surprised. "Y…You! But she's my mother, I should pay for it, I can get another part-time job and pay you back." He insisted.

Jackson yet again berated himself for the way Jimmy was reluctant to accept any help for his mother from his father. "James, you are my son, I made mistakes over the years, and I'm trying to help, please let me." He asked.

"Thank you." Jimmy said.

"Jimmy, I know you can't go back to work for a month and Leroy is going to be busy at work, I want to ask…will you come home…with me…just until you're fit for work."

Gibbs had been walking through from the basement as his dad asked his little brother to go home and he stood waiting and hoping on Jimmy's answer.

"You want me to come home?" Jimmy asked, he did miss the open spaces and calmness of Stillwater and he knew the cleaner air there would help his recovery, and more than anything else, all he wanted ...all he had ever wanted was his father to ask him to come home.

"I do, I want a chance to welcome you into your home as my son, and I want a chance to be the father you always wanted me to be." Jackson said with total sincerity.

Jimmy looked at his father weighing his words and with tears and hope in his eyes he said, "Please dad, I want to come home." Jackson pulled his son into a hug and in the doorway; Gibbs leaned back and smiled.

Eunice Palmer opened her eyes and groaned her head with still swimming.

"Good morning, my name is Dr. Jenny Pressman; I will be your doctor for the duration of your stay." She smiled and waited.

"Where am I?" Eunice asked, "Where are Bruce and John?"

"You are at Morningside Rehabilitation Center, your nurse is Sally and you are here until you have been clean for six months." Dr Pressman said.

"I can't afford this?" Eunice said, "I need to be out of here, I need to call my husband."

"You are here under a court order, you're care is being paid by an anonymous third party and you cannot leave until we are given permission to let you go. I have been told to tell you that your son is safe and he will recover and your husband and brother in law are both in jail awaiting trial."

Eunice realized there was nothing she could do. "Can I make phone calls?" she asked.

"Not yet, there is no contact with the outside for a month, then you earn privileges, Agent Gibbs told me to let you know that you're son will be fine and he'll be going to his fathers to recuperate. Although this is usually against the rules; When Agent Gibbs comes to interview you, you will be allowed one phone call to James, as his doctor has informed us that this will aid his recovery." Jenny pursed her lips although she had told her twice about her son. She had not really asked about him, she made a mental note to tell Gibbs before she was allowed to make the call.

Eunice turned and looked out of the window, "Bruce and John will be really mad….Jimmy was his…I traded him, John's not going to be happy I will have to get him back…." She said talking to herself.

Bruce sat in interrogation as Ziva walked in. He leered at her and she ignored him.

"Hey girly, you wanna blow this joint and go somewhere with me?" he asked.

Inside she shivered and felt sorry for Jimmy growing up with this man in his life.

"We have evidence to prove you killed Petty Officer Andrew Janes." She said and threw a folder in front of him.

"Yeah well, he was an idiot, he tried to sleep with my with my wife," Bruce sneered, "She's my property not his."

"She is your wife she is no ones property." Ziva told him.

"All women and children are property of the man," Bruce said totally believing what he was saying, "You should talk to your man and not mess with affairs that don't concern you." He sneered.

Ziva smiled.

"You should let me go girly, or I'll kill you like I did the sailor boy." Bruce boasted arrogantly.

"Thank you." Ziva said and walked out.

"Get your man girl I want my brother and we are walking out of here. I have to pick up my boy."

Ziva turned put Bruce in an arm lock and slammed him face down on the table. "You will be going away for a long time; and you will never get your hands on Jimmy again. He will be with his family." She smiled as he yelled and struggled in her grip until two agents came and dragged him away.

Jimmy, Gibbs and Jackson pulled up outside The Stillwater General store. Exiting the car the two older men walked easily into the store as Jimmy grabbed his bag and stood at the side of the car looking up at the window he had climbed out to escape from all those years ago.

"You ok?" Gibbs said placing a hand on his little brother's shoulder.

"I….I will be." Jimmy said and took a deep breath as he followed Gibbs inside.

He put his bag down and sat at the table as the woman who was serving behind the counter looked up. "Can I help you son?" she asked eyeing him suspiciously. She had seen Jackson and his son go through to the back and although regular customers got to sit at Jackson's table in the store it wasn't everyday a stranger did.

"I…I'm ok thanks." Jimmy said nervously.

The woman looked offended, "You know son, most people come in to a store in a town like this and they usually by something they don't just come in to sit at a table reserved for family and friends when they most clearly are neither." She could not believe the audacity of this young city upstart. "You should leave sir, now."

The sheriff walked in as Mable got up to usher the young man out.

"There a problem here Mable?" Ed asked.

"No sir Sheriff this man was just leaving, Jackson just got back from his trip and I don't want to bother him with this."

"But I…!" Jimmy started.

"Now you need to leave young man." Ed said.

"But I'm…." Jimmy tried again, coughing as the pain in his side flared up.

Ed moved to turn him around and handcuffed him, "Jackson Gibbs is a nice old man and I won't have any problems in his store."

"Dad!" Jimmy yelled.

Ed stopped and looked at him as Jackson and Gibbs walked out of the back.

"Jimmy where are…..what the hell is going on!" Gibbs snarled at Ed.

"Leroy, Mable said this young man was causing trouble, he your son?" Ed asked.

"No!" Jackson said. Mable looked at Jimmy with a triumphant look on her face, which quickly fell with Jackson's next words. "He's my son and I'll thank you to let him go. A fine welcome home this is, now what happened?" he asked angrily.

"It's my fault Dad, I didn't introduce myself." Jimmy said trying to exonerate the old woman who was obviously his father's friend.

"No James, I should have told Mable you were coming and you…." He turned to Mable, "You should have let him explain himself, even if he wasn't my son he should at least have been allowed to finish a sentence, you've been cutting people off again haven't you." Jackson said to his old friend.

"You're James Gibbs?" Ed said stunned.

Jimmy nodded, "Well Jimmy Palmer now." He said,

"Glad you're alive son, we've been looking for you for years ever since your father called us out." Ed smiled; this was a nice end to his longest missing person's case ever.