"Tim…?" She reached over for her husband, only for her hand to fall on empty sheets. She sat up, suddenly wide awake. "Tim."

He was gone. She swallowed hard, trying not to jump to conclusions, but her heart was beating heavily in her chest, and she was worried he was sitting on the floor in the bathroom, fighting off a panic attack without her.

And then her fears were suppressed as the door to their bedroom opened, only for Tim to be standing there, smiling sheepishly at her, holding what looked like a tray full of food. "Morning Dee," he said, offering a hesitant smile as he walked in.

She looked at him, confused, watching as he set the tray down in front of her. "Morning… what's the occasion?"

"Does there have to be an occasion?" he asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Usually there's an occasion when you make me breakfast in bed on a week day," she told him. "Don't you have to go to work?"

He grinned. "I took the day off, Dee. Remember, we're going to look at houses."

"Right!" She slapped a hand to her forehead, and then smiled. "Sorry. Pregnancy brain."

He chuckled, and reached over, squeezing her hand. "Still one of the most brilliant brains I know."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," she retorted, before blinking, and grinning, before placing a hand on her belly. "Somebody's awake."

"Really?" he asked, his face lighting up, and for a second, she could see her husband returning to himself, the man he'd been before Paraguay had come into their lives and shattered him, and he grinned, reaching out a hand, before hesitating.

"C'mere." She set the breakfast tray aside for a second, pulling him closer, grabbing his hands, and placing them on her belly. It wasn't the first time that peanut had gotten active, but usually she and Tim were in different places when it happened. They were both frozen for a second, and she could see the mixture of anticipation and fear on his face, and then watched as the joy and awe spread across, as he smiled. He looked as though he was going to cry. "Feel that?" she asked.

"Is-?"

"That's our little Peanut," she told him softly, and put her hands on top of his.

"Does it feel weird?" he asked.

"A little uncomfortable, since Peanut's favorite hobby is kicking me in the kidneys," she teased, but saw the worry in his eyes. "Tim, it's all okay."

"But-,"

"No," she cut him off. "You worry too much."

At that, he smiled. "I worry just the right amount, thank you very much." Peanut kicked again, and he looked down, so close to tears that it nearly broke her, watching the wonder in his face, like the world had become whole again. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her belly through the oversized shirt she was wearing. "Hey there, peanut. I can't wait to meet you."

She suddenly wished only to close the doors on the outside world, to stay with her husband and child until their fractures healed; until they were together whole again. She had her husband back, and to her, that was enough; the real world could wait.

He looked up, and she could still see the awe in his eyes, the wonder that she'd felt the first time she had felt Peanut moving. They had managed to create a human being, which was wonderful and terrifying, and she couldn't imagine doing it with anyone else by her side. Her own eyes filled with tears, as he rested his head on the bump for a moment, running a hand absentmindedly through his hair, because he was home and so wonderfully alive. He looked up, and at the same time, they both said what they were thinking.

"I love you."

He kissed her bump again, and then whispered something she didn't catch, before looking up, and then he leaned in, kissing her gently, as though expecting her to break. She wasn't entirely sure which one of them was more likely to break, but looking at the fragile domesticity they'd established, she wondered if maybe they were on the mend after all. He pulled away and grinned. "Now eat your breakfast."

"Have you eaten?"

"Yes," he said, giving her a warning look. "But I'm not the pregnant one here."

"I do hope not," she said with a grin. "In that case, go shave. That goatee looks positively villainous."

He looked offended, and then shook his head with a smile. "I'll shave while you eat."

She looked down at the food, and then smiled. "You remembered the grape jelly."

"Of course I did. What are you slathering it on this time?" he called as he made his way into the bathroom. "The hash browns?"

"No."

"Are you actually putting it on toast this time?" she heard the hope in his voice and couldn't hide the smile.

"They're going on my eggs. Obviously."

"Ha!" She heard him laugh. "Any other cravings today?"

"Now that you mention it… I really want gingerbread men," she replied wistfully, not expecting him to answer.

"Oh? That can be arranged."

She took a forkful of scrambled eggs with grape jelly, feeling another kick, and looking down. "Yes, hello. I'm feeding you, don't worry." She called back to Tim, "What'll it cost me?"

He stuck his head around the doorframe, his face covered with lather and his hair sticking up and she started giggling at the sight of him. "You're my wife. It won't cost you anything. Gingerbread men are easy enough."

"Dipped in barbecue sauce," she said dreamily, and he gave her a quizzical look. And then she saw the undisguised emotion in his face as he retreated into the bathroom.

She looked over the breakfast in front of her, and sighed, thinking it over, enjoying the puzzle. They were house hunting. It wasn't exactly a special occasion. So why the breakfast in bed? She intended to find out at some point, but first, she placed a hand on her bump. "You're one lucky kid, having him for a dad," she murmured.

XNCISX

"All right," The real estate agent offered a smile, as the two of them looked around. "This is the last house of the day. Alexandria…"

"Close to the Navy Yard," Delilah commented.

"And the Pentagon."

The real estate agent looked between them, concerned. "Government workers?" she asked.

"Department of Defense," Delilah said with a nod.

"NCIS."

"You mean CSI?" she asked.

Delilah snorted into her hot chocolate, and Tim shot her a dirty look, before turning back to the real estate agent. "Naval Criminal Investigative Service."

"That's a real thing?" she asked.

"I have the badge and gun to prove it," he said with a smile, and Delilah nudged him.

"Well, what do you think of the house?" she asked, smiling, as he looked around again.

"I like it. Dee?"

"It's a nice house," she agreed. "And I haven't gotten stuck anywhere yet. A definite plus."

"I'll let the two of you talk it over. I'll be in the car outside." She left, the door closing behind her, and the two of them looked at each other, and looked around at the big, empty room.

"She said the owners moved to Europe and wanted to get rid of it…" He looked around. "And it's a reasonable price."

"Big backyard," Dee reasoned. "Perfect for a kid or two to run around in."

"Or two?" he asked, turning to her.

She blushed. "I just… Don't you think it's good to have siblings?"

"Yeah, I do," he said, remembering all the good memories he had with his little sister. And he knew Delilah had similar memories with her own younger sister. "But maybe we should focus on Peanut number one first, hmmm?"

She grinned. "Good point. We haven't even been married a year."

"True," he sighed. "It's very spacious. And it's accessible."

"And a good thing. Do you know how many ugly single story houses I've seen today?" she asked, wincing to herself. "Just because there aren't sweeping staircases doesn't mean it has to be horrible."

He laughed. "It's nice. Master bedroom is kind of isolated from the other bedrooms though… When Peanut is here, probably not a great thing to have them so far away from the master bedroom… but then again, they'll probably be in our room for the first few months, at least… What?" he asked, noticing that Delilah was trying to hide a smile. "What's wrong?"

"Spoken like a true parent," she said. "Honey, have I told you lately that you're going to be an amazing father?"

"No." They reached for each other, holding hands, finding an anchor in each other. "And you are going to be a fantastic mom."

She looked around, but turned back to him. "Can you see a future here, Tim?"

"There's a tree in the backyard for a tire swing. There's an extra room for guests… or a second baby," he reasoned. "And most importantly, it's accessible."

She grinned at him, biting her lip for a second. "Tim… if this is our home… then we need to be honest with each other here. And I want to know the real reason you've been treating me like a princess all day."

"You're carrying our future," he said softly, not meeting her eyes. "Isn't that cause enough?"

"No." She laughed. "Tim. We're married, you can be honest."

"We got engaged a year ago today," he said, kneeling down in front of her. "And we may not have had the wedding we planned for, and we haven't been married a year yet, which is my fault-,"

"I think I played a part in it too, Tim," she objected, still smiling. "Would you do it differently if you had the chance?"

"Delilah, if I had the chance, I wouldn't do anything differently." He stopped, a haunted look washing over his face. She didn't want him to mention Paraguay in their future home, their sanctuary. "Except I wouldn't leave you."

"And I wouldn't do anything differently either. I know that this is a big step, hon, but… I wouldn't take it with anyone but you." She squeezed his hand. "Okay?"

"Okay. I just figured since our first wedding anniversary will be after Peanut…" he took a deep breath. "I'd treat today as a sort of anniversary."

"That is fine by me. The day Timothy McGee asked to marry me."

"Sometimes, I still can't believe you said yes."

"I can. Because I love you."

"I love you too." He looked around at the empty house, their voices echoing in the hallowed halls of their future. And then he pulled out his phone, hitting a button.

She laughed as the sound of She Blinded Me With Science echoed throughout the house. "Tim!"

He held out a hand. "Will you do me the honor of dancing with me?"

"It would be my pleasure." She took his hand, and then giggled as he scooped her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, his forehead leaning against hers. She was staring into his eyes, as the song played.

"Did I ever tell you how horrified Nick was at the idea of this being our first song?" he asked, grinning.

"No. But it makes sense. Too nerdy for him." She grinned at the thought. "Tim?"

"Yes Dee?"

"This is the future I want. Maybe not the one we planned for, but the one I want for us."

"If that's what you want, then I want it too."

"Maybe it's not the ending I expected when we started dating… but I wouldn't trade it for the world."

He leaned in and kissed her, before pulling away. "I don't know what I saw coming when we started dating… but this is the happy ending we deserve."

He set her back in her chair as the song ended, and then leaned down, placing his hands on her belly. "And what do you think, Peanut? Is this the start of our future?"

His face changed at the answering kick, and both he and Dee started laughing. They were still laughing, his arms wrapped around his little family, when the real estate agent came back in. "Well?"

"We'll take it," they said, grinning with each other.

It had been a crazy unpredictable year; but they had started it together and they were ending it together.