Chapter Seventeen: Light at the End of the Tunnel
Jenny couldn't have been more thankful to have Jack around after Gibbs returned to work. She had no idea how hard fulltime moms worked until she actually took on that roll herself. Between taking care of Lizzy, the laundry, the cooking, the cleaning, shopping and all the other little things that were constantly coming up she barely got a moments rest. When Bailey and Josie arrived home from preschool the level of craziness was multiplied.
Jack was also finding himself with little downtime. His worries of boredom had just about turned to wishful thinking as the days went on but he wouldn't trade helping his son and daughter-in-law and spending every day with his grandchildren for the world. The priceless time spent with family and the kids' smiling faces beat a paycheck any day.
Gibbs had a difficult time going back to work. He didn't want to miss out on anything any of his kids were doing. Bailey and Josie were learning new things every day. Lizzy was only about a month old but Gibbs knew it wouldn't be long before she was rolling over, sitting up, pulling herself up, taking her first steps and saying her first words and he didn't want to miss out on any of it. He'd missed so much of Kelly's life. He didn't want to make the same mistake twice.
On a Tuesday afternoon in late October, Gibbs and Tony were on their way back to the Navy Yard after speaking with a witness about the case they were working. As Gibbs headed towards the city, he spotted a house for sale sign pointing into a developing neighborhood. He decided they had time for a detour and went to check it out. Tony was happy to be out of the office and taking a little break from work.
The house was in the final stages of being built but the construction crew was either on break or done for the day so Gibbs parked the car and he and Tony got out. Tony grabbed a flyer from the box attached to the for sale sign.
"Six bedrooms, five and a half baths," he read. "Looks nice, Boss."
Gibbs took the paper from Tony and glanced over it. It was a little more than they'd wanted to spend and a little bigger than they'd been looking at but it appeared to be a very nice house with a large yard in a great neighborhood in Falls Church.
"Can I help you?" a middle aged man called out as he approached them.
Gibbs introduced himself and Tony as they exchanged handshakes. The neighbor introduced himself as Tom Kipling.
"You know anything about this house?" Gibbs asked.
"The family that was having that built ended up moving to Arizona or New Mexico or somewhere in the southwest," Tom said. "It was just put on the market. You guys looking for a house?"
"I am," Gibbs said. "My family's outgrowing the house we're in now."
"Kids?" Tom asked. "I've got two boys. Jacob's fourteen and Seth's six."
"I've got four year old twins, Bailey and Josie and an almost two month old, Lizzy," Gibbs said. "This a good neighborhood for kids?"
"We love it here," Tom said.
He and Gibbs talked about the neighborhood and neighbors, the schools and the house. Tom had been in the house a few times as it was being built so he was able to give Gibbs some general details about the size of the rooms and the layout. Gibbs was impressed with everything he was seeing and hearing and was pleased to find a friendly, younger neighbor. His neighborhood was filled with older people. It would be nice to live near other kids for his kids to play with. He thanked Tom then he and Tony continued on their way.
On the way back, Gibbs called Jenny and told her about the house. The excitement in his voice as he talked about it ignited an excitement in her. Had they finally found the right house? She pulled it up on the internet and she and Jack read all the details. There were no pictures but the place sounded huge. Jenny called their realtor and set up a time to see the house. With Halloween the following day they agreed to meet up on Thursday during Gibbs' lunch break.
For the first time since they'd started house hunting, Jenny let herself get excited. She wanted that to be the house; a brand new home in Falls Church, large enough to accommodate their needs and a little extra room to grow. She had a good feeling about the house. She was ready to start packing.
Bailey and Josie were beyond excited on Wednesday. They'd had a Halloween party at daycare that morning and knew their daddy was getting out of work early to take them trick or treating. They also knew their aunts and uncles were coming over. Jack and Jenny weren't sure if it was all the treats they'd consumed at daycare or the excitement of trick or treating that night but they had an impossible time getting the kids to take a nap.
Gibbs arrived home earlier than he'd planned to find Jenny sound asleep in Bailey's bed and Jack snoring softly in the rocking chair. The twins were having a tea party with all their stuffed animals except for Lulu who was tucked under Jack's arm. Bailey was already wearing his costume, a Thing One costume complete with crazy blue hair. Josie had a matching Thing Two costume. It was one of the twins many nicknames. Abby knew how much they liked it so when she found the costumes she didn't hesitate to buy them.
"Daddy!" Josie said in a loud, happy whisper when she saw him standing in the doorway.
"Hi Baby Girl," Gibbs said quietly. "Did you put Mommy and Grandpa down for a nap?"
Josie looked over at Jack and Jenny and giggled. "Yeah," she said as Gibbs picked her up and kissed her cheek.
"How are you, Little Man?" he asked rubbing his hand over Bailey's blue wig.
"Good," Bailey said. "Is it time to go trick or treating now?"
"Not yet," Gibbs said. "Let's go downstairs and have a snack while Mommy and Grandpa finish their naps."
Gibbs got Lizzy out of her crib and took her downstairs with the twins. After changing her diaper, he put Lizzy in her bouncy seat so he could make the twins a snack.
"Can you guys help me?" he asked. "Can you two watch Lizzy while I make you a snack?"
"Yeah," Josie said her eyes lighting up. She loved helping take care of her baby sister.
"We bringed you a snack today, Daddy," Bailey said. "It's a cupcake from our party. Mommy and Grandpa already ate theirs."
"Thank you," Gibbs said. "I can't wait to eat it."
Gibbs made the twins cheese and crackers for snack then sat them down at the dining room table. He grabbed a bottle and sat with them to feed Lizzy. Bailey and Josie told him all about their Halloween party at daycare, from the games they played to the treats they won to the costumes the other kids were wearing.
When Lizzy was done with her bottle, Gibbs propped her on his shoulder and patted her back. The twins finished up their snack and took their plates into the kitchen. By the time they got back, Lizzy had been burped and Gibbs had spit-up all over the shoulder of his polo shirt. The baby had somehow managed to miss the burp cloth entirely. At least it happened after work this time, he mused.
Gibbs decided to let the twins paint for awhile since they had some downtime before everybody showed up. Gibbs saw it as the perfect opportunity to let the kids be messy and get creative. He got out their watercolors and covered the table in newspaper. They each put on one of his old dress shirts to protect their clothes then he let them go at it while he held Lizzy.
Jenny woke in a panic when she realized she'd fallen asleep. She saw Jack asleep in the rocker but the twins were nowhere to be found. She breathed a sigh of relief when she stepped into the hall and heard Gibbs' voice downstairs. She checked the crib and realized he'd gotten Lizzy up then headed downstairs.
"Hi Momma," Gibbs said as she leaned over and kissed him. "Did you have a good nap?"
Jenny was thankful he wasn't upset or judgmental. Her biggest fear was being a bad parent. "I can't believe I fell asleep," she said. "Something horrible could've happened."
"Relax, you're exhausted," Gibbs said. "You had the baby monitor in there with you. Bailey and Josie were just having a tea party while you and Grandpa slept. Everybody's fine."
"Look at my picture, Mommy!" Bailey said proudly. "It's us. There's you and Daddy and there is Josie and Grandpa and me and Lizzy."
"That's very good, Sweetheart," Jenny praised. "You're a fantastic artist. We'll have to put that on the fridge with the others. Josie, what are you painting?"
"I made a picture of Lizzy," Josie said. "She is taking a bath with my rubber ducky."
"You're doing such a good job, Honey," Jenny said. "I love it. Daddy, what are you painting?"
"Just a boat," Gibbs said.
"Well, it's a very good boat," Jenny said as she rubbed his shoulders. "I think it might even be good enough to go on the refrigerator. What do you guys think?"
"Yeah!" Bailey and Josie cheered together.
"Thank you. I'm glad you guys think it's refrigerator worthy," Gibbs said with a smirk. "Abby and Ziva will be here soon. They want to make popcorn balls with the twins."
"That sounds like fun," Jenny said. "What about the boys?"
"They were going to the store to pick up some tricks to give out along with the treats," Gibbs said, "and don't ask me what that means because I don't know. I'm sure they'll be over after that."
"Welcome home, Son," Jack said appearing in the dining room. "I thought you two were supposed to be napping."
Both twins giggled as they looked up at their grandpa. "Daddy comed home," Bailey told him.
"He said we could get up," Josie added.
Jenny smiled as she patted Jack's arm. "Do you want some coffee, Jack?"
"Please," Jack said taking a seat at the table.
"Jethro?" Jenny asked.
"Yeah, thanks Baby," Gibbs said.
Abby and Ziva showed up already dressed in their costumes. Abby had chosen to go as Tinkerbell to match Tony's Peter Pan. Her costume came complete with wings and a wand. Ziva had originally tried to get out of dressing up. She hadn't played dress up since she was a young girl and felt ridiculous but Abby had gone with her and helped her pick out a costume. She was dressed as Xena and her costume came complete with a large plastic sword. She still felt a little silly but had to admit it was kind of fun dressing up as a warrior princess.
Tim was the only one taking a little flack for his costume. He'd searched the stores high and low and come out empty handed so he'd chosen to go with his snow elf costume from a few years back. The year he'd bought it to wear to a costume party he'd ended up having to work so in his mind it was still new. Gibbs was the only other one dressing up, although no one counted it as dressing up except for him. He was wearing a Cat in the Hat hat to match the twins' costumes. Abby had done her best to get him in a whole Cat in the Hat costume but they'd ended up compromising with just the hat.
Jenny joined the girls and the twins in the kitchen to make popcorn balls while Gibbs and Jack took Lizzy for a short walk around the neighborhood. It was a beautiful, day in late October and it was nice to get some fresh air.
Jenny was just about as excited to spend time with Ziva and Abby as the twins were. As much fun as she was having in her new role as mother, she missed getting to spend time with Gibbs' team in a daily basis, or as she now referred to them, her extended family. She still saw them often but when she did she was usually one step away from crazy town. It felt great to do something normal with them—even if they were dressed like Xena and Tinkerbell.
The group had a blast goofing around in the kitchen while they made popcorn balls and snacked on the ingredients. Gibbs and Jack spent the afternoon playing with Lizzy. She was starting to gurgle and coo more as well as smile and laugh. She could hold her head up for short periods and follow objects with her eyes. They were always thrilled with every one of her accomplishments.
Gibbs loved to hold her hands and feet while he counted her fingers and toes. He never got tired of running his hand over her soft red hair and touching her tiny nose and lips. She was their miracle and he would've been content to sit and look at her all day long. She was part of him and part of his lover, she was their daughter.
A telling look on the infant's face followed by a foul odor told him it was time for a diaper change. He ran into Tony and Tim on his way to the stairs.
"Hey boys," he said. "I think the others are just finishing up in the kitchen."
"Where ya going, Boss?" Tony asked. "Can I see my little Lizzy?"
Gibbs smirked and held the infant out towards Tony.
"Whoa!" Tony said. "Maybe I'll wait till after a diaper change."
Gibbs nodded and winked at Tony before continuing upstairs with Lizzy.
The girls got the mess in the kitchen cleaned up then moved into the living room where the guys were. After getting Lizzy changed, Gibbs retrieved a bottle for her and sat down next to Jenny.
"Do you mind if I feed her?" Ziva asked.
"Sure," Gibbs said. He didn't mind letting the team help out. He wanted all his kids to know their aunts and uncles and have close relationships with them. He handed Lizzy to Ziva then sat back down next to Jenny.
"Jethro, if you'll make dinner then I'll get the kids ready for trick or treating," Jenny said.
"I need to get ready for trick or treating too," Gibbs said. "I've got to get my costume on."
"You mean your hat?" Jenny asked with a laugh. "Don't worry, Honey, I'll help you with your costume too."
"Well, if you're gonna help me with my costume then I guess I can manage dinner," Gibbs said as he winked at her.
Jenny laughed as she shook her head at him. Being a family man had definitely changed him. "There are brats in the fridge and to go with them there's French fries in the freezer or mac and cheese in the cupboard or we can just have potato chips. It's up to you."
"I got it covered," Gibbs said as he rose from the couch. He leaned down and kissed Jenny then headed into the kitchen.
After dinner it was finally time to go trick or treating. Gibbs and Jenny took the twins around a couple blocks, loving the smiles on their faces and enjoying their excitement. By the time they made it back to the house Tony, Tim, Ziva and Abby were practically bouncing off the walls. Passing out candy was fun but nowhere near as much fun as knocking on doors and collecting it. The twins took a break long enough to eat a piece of their candy and share some with everybody then they were off with their aunt and uncles leaving Dad, Mom and Grandpa to take care of Lizzy and pass out candy to the other trick or treaters.
Gibbs, Jenny and Jack spent the evening passing out candy and playing with Lizzy. It was their first Halloween together with the kids and like all the other holidays they'd celebrated together, they were finding it much more special with children around. The last of the trick or treaters to ring the doorbell were Tony, Ziva, Tim and Abby returning with the twins. Gibbs passed out the last of their candy, adding to the group's already overflowing bags.
"What are we going to do with all this candy?" Gibbs asked taking stock of the twins' bags as they made their way into the dining room.
"Eat it!" Bailey and Josie both said at once.
"Can we have some now?" Josie asked. "Pease Daddy?"
"You can both pick out three pieces to eat," Gibbs said.
The twins sorted through every piece of candy in their bags and carefully made their selections. After they'd had their snacks they counted, sorted, traded and shared their candy.
"Can I give Lizzy a piece of candy?" Bailey asked.
"No Sweetie," Jenny said. "That's very thoughtful of you but Lizzy can't eat candy yet. She doesn't have any teeth. Do you want to help me feed her while Daddy gives Josie a bath?"
"Yeah," Bailey said moving over to sit next to her. "Then that means I don't have to take a bath?" he asked.
"Nice try," Gibbs said with a laugh.
Jenny got Bailey situated in the corner of the couch with a pillow in his lap to help him support the baby. She got a bottle ready then laid the infant in her son's lap, sat down next to them and got everything situated then supervised the feeding.
The team said goodnight and Gibbs saw them out before going upstairs with Josie. While he filled the tub and added the bubbles, Josie picked out which bath toys she wanted to play with. It was clear after being on a sugar high all day it wasn't going to be easy to get either of the twins to sleep. Gibbs hoped the calming bath lotions and the fact that they hadn't had a nap would help.
"Daddy, when bath time is over can I have another piece of candy?" Josie asked.
"I think you've had enough candy, Baby Girl," Gibbs said.
"But I like it," Josie said.
"I'm sure you do," Gibbs said, "but if you eat too much you'll get sick. It'll still be there tomorrow. I promise."
"Will you put some in my lunch so I can eat it at school?" Josie asked.
"Sure Sweet Pea," Gibbs said.
Gibbs helped Josie get the shampoo rinsed out of her hair then supervised the rest of her bath. Both twins were gaining independence and could almost bathe themselves but Gibbs and Jenny hadn't yet left them alone in a tub full of water. Accidents happened too quickly and they would do anything to protect their children. It also provided some nice one on one time.
After bathing and playing for a little while it was Bailey's turn to take a bath. Lizzy was fed, burped and had her pajamas on. Grandpa was rocking her to sleep so Gibbs worked on getting Josie to sleep while Jenny gave Bailey a bath. The little boy was in there long enough to get himself cleaned up then was quickly out. When they walked back into the bedroom, Gibbs had just gotten Josie to sleep.
"Mommy"
Jenny put her finger in front of her lips to quiet him.
"Can I sleep with you and Daddy tonight?" Bailey continued in a whisper.
"We're not going to bed yet, Buddy," Jenny said, "but I will lie down with you until you fall asleep."
"Okay," Bailey said.
Jenny got Bailey to sleep then returned to the living room with Gibbs and Jack. Their conversation revolved around the house they were going to look at the following day. They decided they were willing to up the amount they were willing to spend but the seller would still have to come down some. After talking for awhile the sleepy but happy group headed off to bed.
Gibbs and Jenny usually didn't take the twins along to look at potential houses mainly because they usually visited several houses at a time and didn't want the kids to get bored but they decided to take them along to see this house. They were only looking at one house and everybody had a good feeling about it. Jenny, Jack and Lizzy headed to Falls Church in the SUV and Gibbs picked the twins up from daycare on his lunch break then went to meet them over there.
There was a team of people working on laying the sod and doing some landscaping in the yard but no one was working inside the house. The only thing left to do before the inside of the house was completed was lay the carpet which the realtor told them was scheduled for the following day. After telling them a little about it, she let them look around the house.
The house had a decent sized front porch and an even larger back porch. The first floor had two bedrooms, one with an attached bathroom, the laundry room, an office, a large family room with a wood burning fireplace, kitchen with a bar and a good sized pantry and a big, open dining room along with another one and a half bathrooms.
Upstairs was the master suite with a large walk-in closet, private bathroom, sitting area complete with an electric fireplace and access to a private balcony. There were three other bedrooms all with nice sized closets and a lot of windows and two full bathrooms. The basement had a separate room for the water heater and the heating and cooling systems. Other than that it was large and open. There was plenty of room for a workshop, furniture building and even another boat if Gibbs chose to build one.
The colors were all neutral earth tones, from the paint to the trim to the carpet that would be added the following day. The kitchen and dining room had hardwood floors. The kitchen had more than enough room, the house had plenty of storage, a lot of windows and great lighting. Gibbs walked through the house twice inspecting everything.
The yard was big enough they'd need a riding lawn mower and was already fenced in. There were trees for shade, room to put the kids' jungle gym, a garden, an area for grilling and sitting on the covered patio and more than enough space if Jack was still interested in getting a dog.
Gibbs, Jenny and Jack were all in love. If they could get the house for a decent price, it would be perfect. Their loan had already been preapproved. They knew how much they could spend and how much they were willing to spend. They worked out what they thought was a reasonable offer and a down payment with their realtor so the woman could relay it to the seller. By the time they left the house things were out of their hands.
Jenny and Jack left with all three kids and Gibbs returned to work happy. He loved the house and had a really good feeling about getting it. He was sure he'd be able to give his wife her dream of getting in before Christmas, maybe even before Thanksgiving since they could move in as soon as all the papers were signed and not have to wait the normal thirty days for the previous occupants to move out. Life was good and things just kept getting better.