a/n: for anyone who needs a refresher without having to go read the other stories, Kate Todd is married to Stan Burley in this 'verse, and they have a daughter named Elle.

Day Nine: Hanging Out With Friends

Timeline: Engaged

Every time Gibbs glared across the patio table into the yard, his fiancee elbowed him harshly in the ribs. She gave him a look, and silently ordered him to stop, and he'd stop for a minute and then slowly fall back into glaring again.

"Jethro," she snapped finally, pinching his arm.

Kelly Gibbs sat down just as the pinching happened and Gibbs glared at Jen menacingly.

"What's wrong with Dad?" Kelly asked, smirking. She pulled Levi onto her lap and smiled as Tim sat down next to her. He handed Levi a plate and Kelly grinned even wider.

"He's menacing DiNozzo," Jenny answered.

"What's wrong with DiNozzo?" Kelly asked.

Gibbs grunted and held out his hand.

"Can't believe they're lettin' him hold the baby," he groused.

The company turned to look - DiNozzo was seated in a lawn chair, looking twelve different kinds of terrified and patting a small infant awkwardly on the stomach. Standing near him, and talking animatedly, was Stan Burley.

"Oh, it's not 'letting' him per se," Kelly snorted, arching a brow. "Kate knows Tony is terrified of babies, so she told Stan to go make him hold her."

Jenny laughed, but Tim looked over his shoulder warily.

"I wouldn't trust Tony with my newborn," he muttered.

Gibbs nodded affirmatively, deciding today he liked McGee. DiNozzo looked absolutely out of sorts, and Stan didn't seem to bothered by it.

"Jethro - stop staring at him, so help me God," Jenny hissed, pinching him again.

Kelly shook her head.

"He's just jealous," she announced callously. "He wants to hold the baby."

Gibbs turned his glare on Kelly this time, and she smirked at him knowingly.

"The growly fierce Marine loves babies," she cooed, and leaned back in her chair.

"Kate, Daddy wants to hold Elle," she announced loudly.

Kate looked up from her animated conversation with Abby and glanced around. She shrugged good-naturedly.

"If Tony is willing to give her up," she said slyly.

Tony shot up out of his chair, then looked around in a panic, as if he didn't know how to stand with a baby. Stan started laughing, and took his relatively new daughter over to the covered patio.

Elle Margaret Burley had been born a couple of months ago, but some complications had kept her in the hospital for four weeks, and after that Kate and her husband had been wary of people around her. They'd had a barbecue for Labour Day to introduce the baby girl to the team.

Stan stepped up to Gibbs and offered her, and Gibbs made sure to give the table an annoyed look as he took her expertly. Tony approached looking sheepish, and shot Gibbs a look out of the corner of his eye - to Gibbs, holding a baby was old hat.

"She's so little," Levi said, turning up his nose. "What a wimp."

Kelly smacked his hand lightly.

"You used to be that little," she informed him. She kissed his head. "All babies are teeny."

McGee snorted.

"Not my sister," he revealed. "She was ten pounds - I was eleven."

Kelly looked startled, and Jenny gave her a wicked look.

"I wouldn't let Timmy knock you up, Probie," she said slyly. "Unless you want some giant mutant tearing you asunder."

"Jesus, Jen," Gibbs whined, turning towards her.

Levi chomped on some potato chips and tilted his head.

"When you and Jenny get married, will you have a baby?" he asked the newly engaged couple.

Gibbs gave him a look, and the others at the gathering fell into a weird silence - it was just a question that carried too much emotion, considering Jenny's past. The redhead leaned back and put a hand on Gibbs' shoulder, rubbing his arm lightly, her engagement ring glinting. She shrugged.

"He's old as hell, Levi," she said coolly. "His ingredients don't work anymore."

Gibbs gave her an outraged look - DiNozzo started laughing, and so did Kate and Abby.

"Ingredients?" Levi asked, and Kelly shot Jenny a nasty look.

Jenny turned away from her, and peered down at Kate's baby - she was an average looking little thing, as far as babies went, and Jenny had only seen her once before - when she'd been hooked up to tubes and smaller and paler, and she'd decided she might be of use at the hospital to help Kate or Stan.

She smiled suddenly, glad Elle had powered through and made it here today.

Gibbs caught her eye, and arched his eyebrow; she pursed her lips and shook her head -

She didn't want to talk about this possibility yet.

-alexandra

p.s. - feedback on these wouldn't be entirely unappreciated, y'all.