a/n: Again, for the the reader's full enjoyment of this chapter, I would like to suggest you to do the following:
1. Go to youtube and look up for the video: Rostropovich plays the Prelude from Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 .
2. Hit pause, and wait for the video to load.
3. Once loaded, hit play and read the chapter, with the music playing in the background.

Believe me, it will make a huge difference. Now back to the story.

Music of the night

As the first notes of Bach's first cello suite drifts upstairs, Timothy and Joy were right in the middle of another type of symphony.

Timothy closes his eyes as Joy's soft hand drifts over his bruised chest as he lay down on the bed, her fingers tracing circles on his skin. She leans closer and softly kisses the same path her hands make. She lays beside him, and leans her head on the fold of his shoulder. He feels her soft hands touching, and he gasps.

He opens his eyes, and he is confronted with her dark brown ones staring at him, looking for any sign of discomfort.

"You ok?"

"Yes." He breaths deeply, his rib bothering a little but nothing compares to her soft touch. "Yeah."

She kisses his cheek, and then he feels her leaving soft kisses on his shoulder and chest. He moans when she slowly straddles his hips. She lifts her head from his shoulder, and looks down at him, without moving. They stare at each other for a long moment, and he's surprised when she starts to cry silently. Big fat tears start rolling down her face, and he wipes them away with his thumb.

"Why the tears?"

She leans closer, till their foreheads touch, and she says in an almost inaudible voice, "I thought I lost you. That I got there too late."

"Ah, Joy." His hand massages her neck, and he feels her tears against his neck. She starts sobbing, and he hugs her against him, his hands rubbing her back, his fingers silently tracing the scars on her back.

"I'm right here. And I'm not going anywhere," he whispers against her ear, and he feels her sobbing intensify.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

In the other room, Matthew kisses Sarah's closed eyes, at the same time that he delicately caresses her face. He looks down at his beloved, and proceeds to make sweet love to her, all the time repeating how much he loves her and how he never he wants to see her hurt again.

And the music kept playing on.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

Faith arrives with Wilson, carrying loads of roasted meat from a rotisserie nearby. Daniel and Stephanie, Faith's children, salute their grandmother. Daniel runs to the Lego box, while Wilson and Stephanie go to the library. Stephanie sits at the piano and starts to play with her grandfather. Wilson just starts bringing folding chairs to the library.

Lisa arrives with a surly Jacob and with little Priscilla in tow. Priscilla runs to the Lego box and starts playing with Daniel, while Jacob, as soon as he hears the music coming from the Library, goes there and gets the bass, and just waits for his grandfather to stop playing with his cousin this last song to join the band. Hope arrives, her hands full of ready made salad, drops her offerings in the kitchen and moves to the room where music is being made.

Tony and Ziva arrive at the same time that Abby parks her hearse close to the townhouse. They hear the music coming from the house, and wonder if they are at the right place. Lisa opens the door, and guides them to the library, where Jacob is already playing with Stephanie and Joseph.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

"Tell me again, why did I have to be the one to pick the dog?" Gibbs asks Ducky on his phone, looking at the drooling dog in his backseat. The dog moves his leg, as if he's dreaming of running, and Gibbs pays attention to the road again as he hears the explanation.

"Because you are the one who has a truck, and I wouldn't be able to carry him to the house."

Gibbs disconnects and parks his car behind Ducky's. Ducky approaches Gibbs smiling.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad, and I'm sure Timothy will be ecstatic to see his old friend well onto the road of recovery."

Gibbs opens the door, and slowly maneuvers the dog so he can carry him into the townhouse. The dog, despite his wounds, does not whine nor growl at Gibbs, as if he knows he's just trying to help.

Ducky locks Gibbs car for him, and both approach the Buchanan's home. They both recognize the team's cars. Sometime during the day one of the Buchanan's brought Timothy's car as well.

As they approach the door, they see two people standing by the door, and for their surprise they recognize the two kissing youngsters as Temperance Buchanan and Jimmy Palmer.

"Mr. Palmer!" Ducky says, and both jump apart, caught in the act.

Gibbs glares at Palmer, who blushes five shades of red, but Temperance just smiles and approaches Gibbs.

"Ah, you brought Jethro! Tim will love it!" She smiles at him, ignoring his scowl at her boyfriend.

"How are you my dear?" asks Ducky, glancing from Temp to Jimmy.

She smiles at the M.E. "We're just fine, come on, Gibbs must be getting tired of caring Jethro." She opens the door, and waves them in. Palmer walks into the house, always staring at Gibbs who is still scowling at him.

"You're lucky I have my hands full of dog right now."

Palmer gulps, and runs into the house.

They enter and Temperance drags Jimmy by the hand to the Library. Maggie welcomes Gibbs and Ducky, and tells Gibbs to let Jethro on the dog bed they put close to the door that accesses the backyard. She opens the door, just for the night air to come in and guides them to the library, where music is still being made.

Matthew comes down holding Sarah's hand and they go to the music room. They sit on the folding chairs. Temperance takes the acoustic guitar, much to Jimmy's surprise. She shrugs at him, and just looks at her father, waiting for his cue. Hope sits by the drums, and waits for the new music to start as well.

Joseph finally stops playing his cello and goes to the electrical guitar. He looks at his family and friends, gathered around him. He smiles at the surprised expression on Gibbs' face, as he sees him tuning the electrical guitar, and shrugs, justifying himself.

"I had to keep myself and the kids busy during the long winters in Montana." He looks at the guitar in his hand, and starts to softly play it. "There's nothing better than music for this."

He looks at the beloved faces around him. "We'll do something different here tonight, you were all invited here not only for dinner, but also to a night of thanksgiving."

He looks tenderly at Sarah. "We have much to give thanks for tonight, as again we were granted a huge gift, because instead of a night filled with tears and pain and mourning, we are given the chance of celebrating life," he looks at Gibbs, "again, God's providence worked in an astonishing miraculous way, ensuring the safety of our children."

"So we'll sing and praise Him tonight, and rejoice in the Lord, as He is worthy of all glory and praise," he looks at Ziva, "though we might not share the same faith, we share the same God." Ziva nods. "So let's sing to our God, come before his presence with thanksgiving, for He is worthy of all praise."

Ziva fingers her Star, and smiles.