"I do not remember Gibbs saying anything about a dieing friend." Tony commented as Ziva and he sat in a car some distance from a large group gathered for an internment. Gibbs was standing a safe distance away himself but it was obvious to both agents that it was important for him to be there.

"He didn't" Ziva allowed. She watched her boss as he turned away from the group and headed back to the car.

"Are you alright?" Ziva asked as Gibbs got back into the car.

"I'm fine Ziva, let's head back."

"What ever you say boss." Tony agreed and turned the car around and out of the cemetery.

"I'm sorry about your loss." Hannah nodded her head and let the people pass on their way out of the cemetery. Hannah smiled when her mother's nurse Karen came to her.

"I just wanted to tell you that I saw your mom's friend. He's over there." Karen shared as the two women hugged. Hannah turned her head towards the rise in the cemetery and saw a man look briefly in her direction and then turn to leave. "I was hoping that he'd come down and see you, but apparently he's the aloof type." Karen smiled sadly.

"I think he's more than aloof." Hannah retuned sadly. "Thanks for pointing him out though."

"You're welcome." Karen then went to say something to Keith. When all the mourners had left, Hannah and her husband crawled into the car and sat close to each other while the driver took them home.

"Do you think Sarah is still in one piece?" Keith asked of one of his platoon buddies who had offered to sit with their daughter while they attended the funeral.

"She made it through basic training, I think she can manage a nineteen month old for a few hours. Lyddi is a handful, but she's fairly easy to redirect." Hannah sighed as she let her husband hold her. The two got out of the car and headed up to their small base house.

"You're home." Sarah greeted with a strange look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Hannah asked thinking something happened with Lyddi.

"I just got a phone call."

"From who?" Keith asked.

"Our CO. You've been called to duty at 1800." Sarah shared and watched as Hannah sunk into the closest chair. "I explained that you were at your mother's funeral. He sounded sorry, but ordered me to tell you upon your return."

"I'll call, see if I can it deferred." Keith told Hannah as he went to grab the phone.

"Hey Hannah it will be alright." Sarah tried to comfort yet Hannah new that it wouldn't be alright. Keith was special ops and when the calls came in he had to go, compassionate leave or not, he were needed.

"I have to go," Keith shared as he came back into the room some time later.

"I know."

"I don't want to leave you alone like this." Keith started.

"I somehow don't think I'll be alone for long." Hannah returned cryptically. "The other wives will find out that you've been shipped and they'll be here soon enough."

"I'll spend the night too." Sarah offered. "I'll sleep on the couch for tonight."

"That would be great. I've said good bye to Lyddi, I promise I'll be home as soon as I can." Hannah walked Keith to the door. "I called someone to pick me up so you can stay here."

"I love you." Hannah whispered as they shared one last kiss.

"Back at yah." Keith returned and left. Hannah watched from the front step as her husband left. She could here Sarah putting things away in the kitchen and then she heard her daughter crying.

"I can get Lyddi for you." Sarah offered as Hannah came back into the house.

"No, I'll go get her. Thanks for you help." Hannah returned and went to the back of the house. He daughter stood in her crib.

"Momma!" Lyddi called with a smile. Hannah picked up her daughter and held her close as they sat down in the rocking chair. Hannah couldn't contain the tears that welled in her eyes and buried her face in her daughters hair, her heart breaking for the loss of her mother and now the absence of her husband.

Gibbs sat in the car just down the street from Hannah's house for what seemed like hours. He had watched Hannah come back from some type of program with her daughter carrying several bags and having the toddler walk unsteady beside her. He had been impressed by the patience that Hannah had shown her daughter. It had been a few hours since she had gone inside the house, and despite all his self talk Gibbs still was unsure how to take this next step. The phone rang and Gibbs answered it.

"Gibbs here." Gibbs announced.

"Gibbs! I came up to the office and was told that you weren't in today! Are you alright? Are you feeling okay? Is there anything I can get for you?" Abby's voice filled the line. Gibbs paused, there was probably a lot of things that Abby could do right know for him, but he didn't want to fill the woman with thoughts

"I'm fine Abby." Gibbs assured.

"Tony said you took a personal day." Abby paused. "You never take a personal day. The last time you took a personal day you moved to Mexico and I thought you'd be gone for good. Tell me you are not planning to go to Mexico today are you?"

"No Abby, I am not going to go to Mexico today." Gibbs continued to sooth.

"I will not believe you until I see you again. You will be tomorrow?" Abby asked.

"Yes, I'll be in tomorrow."

"I might call you again to make sure that your phone hasn't been turned off." Abby shared.

"I'm always here for yah Abbs." Gibbs assured.

"I know." Abby hung up then. As Gibbs listened to the phone loose it's signal he thought about what he had just said. He always assured Abby that he was there for her, and now he was sitting like some guilty school boy trying to stay out of head master's office. Gibbs got out of the car and strode with more authority than her felt to the front door and knocked.

Hannah heard the door and sighed as put down the paint roller. She had hoped that she would be able to get the last coat of paint on the wall before anyone came over. She had told Pauline that she had wanted Lyddi to sleep before she came over with the boys. Grabbing a towel she wiped the paint of her hands and went to answer the door. As she got closer to the door she realized it wasn't Pauline as she would have been in the door by now. She opened the door and her heart skipped a beat.

"Hannah Jenkins?" The man asked.

"Hannah Douglas actually.." Hannah corrected. "My students used to call me Ms Jenkins, but since I haven't been teaching I go by my married name." Hannah paused.

"My name is Leroy Jethro…"

"Gibbs.. I know. Come in." Hannah opened the door a little further in order to let Gibbs into the room. Hannah led Gibbs down the short hallway into the kitchen sitting area.

"You know my name." Gibbs started.

"My mother, she was always a woman of few words. She told me about you, but left some letters and things with more information. I found it while I was going through her things." Hannah shared and pointed to the chair at the table.

"So you know who I am?" Gibbs continued.

"Yes, but if you wanted to share your side of the story that would be great." Hannah shrugged.

"Hannah, you have to know that I didn't know about you till just a little while ago." Gibbs started. "I would never have known about you if you mother hadn't contacted me."

"I know. Momma didn't share with me until the very end." Hannah admitted and looked sadly at the pictures that covered the wall.

"I met with your mother after that."

"I know that too. The Hospice nurse told me that Momma had had a visitor."

"We talked a lot." Gibbs admitted. "She told me some stories."

"I'm glad that she was able to do that. Her last few days appeared to be good." Hannah agreed. "I can't say that she told me much about you with her words, but she did leave me this." Hannah stood and went to the coffee table. She pulled the small book off the table and brought it to him. Gibbs looked at Hannah. "You can look at it." Gibbs opened the book to find several of the newspapers articles about him throughout the past twenty years. Several notes from the Marine news, and then some information about some of the other community things that Gibbs had been involved in.

"I think she paid closer attention to you than you think." Hannah finished wisely and Gibbs nodded.

"I had some tests done Hannah.." Gibbs started, he was interrupted by a small cry from the bedroom.

"I will be right back." Hannah informed and went to answer the child. Gibbs looked over at the wall of pictures and was drawn to a few of them right away. Hannah's graduation picture, her husband's military photo. Hannah's wedding photo, she wore a simple long white dress her hair crowned with flowers. Her hands full of wildflower and her feet bare. Her husband was dressed in his service uniform both of them had a smile that started in their faces and continued into their eyes. Then a small photo of their daughter and family portrait of the three of them and Cecilia. Gibbs looked away when he heard Hannah coming back into the room with the small child.

"She's a little shy at first, it won't last long" Hannah admitted as she let Lyddi rest her head on her shoulder. "Lyddi, I'd like to introduce you to your Papa." Gibbs looked slightly surprised when the little girl lifted her head up off her mothers shoulder and waved at him.

"Hannah.." Gibbs started and as they stood awkwardly in the kitchen, Lyddi broke through the tension with two little arms reaching out to be held by the man in the room.

"I told you it wouldn't last long." Hannah nodded. "Let's go for a walk. The park isn't far from here and Lyddi loves the swings."

"Swings? Yahhh!" Lyddi clapped.

Hannah grabbed a few things and the keys to the house and as the three of them left. "As I said earlier, Momma was a woman of few words, but when she shared something with you she really believed in what she said. If my mother told me that you are my father and the tests that you said you did confirm it, I guess its true." Hannah locked the door. "The next step in this journey will to be to keep walking forward, and maybe we can do it together if you interested in doing it."

Gibbs held onto the small body in his arms and looked down at the young woman who said such wise things and nodded. "I'd like that."

"Me too." Hannah smiled and walked they walked down the street.