"Wow."

"It looks like an alien," Nick commented.

Ellie glared at him, "No it doesn't, Nick."

"I'm telling you… I don't think it's human."

"I think it looks like Delilah," she retorted.

"It doesn't even look human, you're just sayin' that because Delilah is your friend!"

"Ladies, please," Reeves tried, but a smirk from Nick and a glare from Ellie shut him up.

"You're telling me you don't see Delilah?"

"All I see is this little… alien thingy." Nick grimaced, but smirked. "C'mon Bishop, if I took you to an art gallery, you'd say a blob looked like Delilah if Tim was standing right there."

"But Tim isn't-," she froze, and whipped around, only to see Gibbs, not McGee, smirking at the agents clustered around McGee's desk.

"Geez," he said, walking past with a coffee. "Don't ya have work to do instead of gossiping?"

"No… actually, we haven't had a case in a week."

"Torres is getting desperate."

"I just wanna kick down some doors," Nick sighed. He pulled the object in question from where it was pinned up behind McGee's desk. "What do you think Gibbs? It's an alien, right?"

Gibbs grinned, looking at Torres. "If I didn't know better, Torres, I'd think ya didn't like kids."

"Oh, no. Kids? That's much too domestic for me." He took a closer look at it. "Maybe it's like an optical illusion? I still just see a blob!"

"Oh yeah, and you wanna be the one to tell McGee that?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, not a good idea." Ellie said, before looking closer. "It's really cute."

"Gibbs, Bishop said this looks like Delilah… what do you think?" Nick held up the image in front of Gibbs, who looked over the top of it to Torres, raising an eyebrow.

"Ya really want my opinion, Torres?"

"Well, yeah…" He saw the look Gibbs was giving him. "Actually I… have… to analyze this privately. I'm telling you, it's like that scene in Alien-,"

"Where's my sonogram?" came a panicked demand from behind them. Nick turned around, hiding the image behind his back.

"Oh… hey McGee!"

Tim gave him a suspicious look. "Nick, have you see my baby?"

"Relax, man, it's not your baby. I'm not even sure it's of this world." Nick pulled it out from behind his back, and Tim grabbed it, clutching it to his chest.

Ellie, who was watching the exchanged, muttered, "Whoa. Papa Wolf."

"It's a baby, Torres, to you that might as well be an alien," Gibbs said, without looking up from his computer.

Nick grimaced, but Ellie hurried in to do damage control. "Tim, the baby is beautiful."

Tim looked slightly less gratified. "You really think so?"

"Oh yeah. Definitely."

"Ellie was saying it looked like Delilah," Reeves said from his desk, having safely retreated without anyone noticing.

"I hope they do look like Delilah." Tim got a wistful look on his face, causing his colleagues to roll their eyes. Except for Gibbs, who looked up at Tim and smiled.

"How are things with Delilah?"

"Good… good. I was just coming back from the lab… Abby wanted a copy." He grinned. "She's already really excited."

"Seen her knitting project?"

"No… what's she making?"

"I won't ruin the surprise, McGee, but don't worry… ya won't hate it."

"That's reassuring."

Gibbs pulled his glasses from the corner of his desk. "Mind if I take a look?"

"McGee," Torres started. "I don't mind if you hang pictures of your little alien baby up everywhere… but do ya have to do it where I can see?"

"Just wait, Torres," Gibbs said with a grin, as he took the image from McGee, looking at it with a nostalgic smile. "Imagine how many pictures there will be once the new arrival actually shows up!"

Nick groaned, collapsing into his desk chair, and burying his head in his hands.

"Tim…" Gibbs looked up at him, with fatherly pride. "That's good work."

"Oh, it's nothing to do with me. It's all Delilah…"

"I hope you had something to do with it man, or that's gonna be pretty awkward," Torres teased, but Gibbs was focused on Tim.

"How is she, Tim?"

"Good. She's still perfectly healthy…" He tried to stifle a yawn, but couldn't. "Sorry. I hardly slept last night."

Gibbs stood up. "You're not sleeping?"

"Oh, no, not like that, I've been sleeping fine. It's Delilah."

"She okay?" Gibbs asked.

"She's fine… I just had to go out last night and try and find a 24-hour grocery store."

"Ah," Gibbs said with a grin, handing back the sonogram. "Cravings?"

"Cravings," Tim confirmed. "I'm trying to keep her from working too hard, but you know what she's like."

"As far as I recall," Gibbs said, turning back to his paperwork. "McGees are stubborn." He grinned at the thought, shaking his head. "Get an idea in their head and no turnin' back."

"Delilah actually wanted me to give you this," Tim said, pulling out a copy of the sonogram. "There's a note on the back for you."

Gibbs flipped it over so he could read the inscription in Delilah's elegant handwriting.

To Grandpa Gibbs,

Not long until you get to meet the newest addition to the family!

Love Delilah, Tim and Peanut xo.

He grinned to himself, and then turned, pinning it up behind his desk. Torres groaned, "Oh c'mon Gibbs, not you too! I'm surrounded by alien babies!"

Gibbs shook his head. "Surrounded by family."

"As if that's any better," Torres huffed.

"Morning," Vance said, walking in, before stopping in front of McGee, who'd frozen with the sonogram clutched tightly in his hand. "McGee, you look like you're at death's door."

"Thank you, Director Vance."

"Mrs. McGee keeping you busy?"

"Yes sir, but I don't mind."

"No." Vance clapped him on the shoulder. "Cherish it… because next thing you know, kids are teenagers."

McGee laughed, as Vance walked off.

"Wow, you can almost pretend he didn't send in Agent Sloane to shake things up."

"If that's his idea of a fresh start, I'd hate to hear what he thinks of teaching old dogs new tricks," Nick said, his eyes on Gibbs.

Reeves popped up again, and Ellie jumped aside, startled, giving him an annoyed look when he grinned. "One old dog in particular."

Gibbs didn't look up from his case report, but offered a single word in retort: "Woof."

XNCISX

He was just laying out the blueprints for his newest project, when the doorbell rang. He set down his mason jar of bourbon, before taking the stairs two at a time to the first floor. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but opening the door to find Delilah wasn't it.

"Delilah."

"Hi Gibbs. Sorry to drop in… I should've called."

"No, no… come in." He opened the door, only to see Tim driving off. He looked her over, relieved to see that physically she looked healthy, and Tim was right about her glowing. "You okay?"

"Yeah… just wanted to talk… figured there was no one better than my man of honor."

"Where's Tim off to, leavin' ya here?"

"He has therapy."

"This late at night?"

"He said it helps him sleep. And how can I mind?" she asked, wringing her hands. She tucked her hair behind her ear, and smiled at him.

"I'd offer ya bourbon and the basement, but…" he waved his hand helplessly. "Stairs… and ya can't drink."

"I appreciate the thought."

"Heard you and McGee got a new place."

"We're not moving in for a while yet, but yes."

"He showed me pictures… it's a nice house, Delilah."

"I know. I'm really happy with it. Did Tim give you the sonogram?" she asked, following him into the living room. He sat down across from her.

"Yeah. Baby is beautiful… the two of you should be proud."

She smiled. "Best surprise we've ever had. But yes… I am proud."

He looked her over again. "So what's the real reason you're here?"

She sighed. "That obvious, huh?"

"Yep. That obvious."

She bit her lip for a second. "I never thanked you for keeping Tim alive. In Paraguay."

"Nothin' to do with me," he said softly, not meeting her eye. "It was all Tim. He wanted… so desperately to get back to you and the baby. That's what kept him alive… not me."

"I know he carries a lot of guilt… about Paraguay," she said, hesitating.

"Situations like that… ya do what it takes to survive."

"I don't mean about that. I mean about leaving me behind." She fiddled with her rings, before looking back up at Gibbs. "I don't know how to help him."

"Look, Delilah… there wasn't a day that went by where he wasn't thinkin' of ya."

"The guilt is eating at him, Gibbs. It haunts him… the things he saw… the person he became."

"Do you think he's a different person?"

"He may have been changed by what happened down there, but underneath it all… he's still the man I married. The man I love."

"There's no cure-all. It's somethin' he's gotta come to terms with."

"I just want him to be happy," she said, frowning.

"He is happy… when he's with you." He took a deep breath. "Do you know how many times I wished I'd forced him to stay on that helicopter? I saw it in my head every night… every time I closed my eyes… knowin' he put himself into danger for me."

"But you know why." She met his eye, having recovered her emotions. "You damn well know why he did what he did. It's Tim. Stubborn as hell, and willing to throw himself into danger for those he loves. It's not a bad quality."

"It is when it gets him killed."

She reached over, and touched his hand. "But it didn't get him killed. And I know Tim… I know his soul. He's still there."

"And he's still fightin' to get back to you, Dee. Just in a different way."

She smiled through unshed tears. "You know, that's the first time you've called me Dee."

"Well why shouldn't I call ya that? Aren't you my daughter-in-law?" he asked gruffly.

She smiled then, a real smile, wiping at her eyes. "Gibbs, I know that you never really got to see your daughter grow up-,"

"I have a son," he said, cutting her off. "A son that you married, and Delilah… any father would be proud for their child to marry someone like you."

"You're going to make me cry again, Gibbs."

He leaned forward, taking both of her hands in his. "Delilah… I promise I'm not gonna let anything happen to Tim. Not now that's he's a father. You got that?"

"That's favoritism," she sniffed.

"Don't care. It's my job to look after my kids. And if ya need anything… let me know."

"I will. How does it feel?"

"How does what feel?" he replied.

"Knowing that you're getting a grandchild?"

He grinned. "Feels like a miracle."

XNCISX

After McGee had stopped in to pick up Delilah, looking cheerful, if exhausted, Gibbs went back downstairs, to his mason jar of bourbon, and the sketches for his newest project.

He hadn't asked to find a family in his team. And yet, he'd found one all the same.

His phone rang, and he looked at it, frowning, before picking up. "Yeah, Duck, everything okay?"

"Jethro, have you heard from Timothy lately? I was trying to call him, but there was no answer at their home."

"He was at his therapy session. Delilah was here." He was quiet for a second. "Did ya need somethin', Duck? Is it urgent?"

"Goodness no. I hadn't realized the lateness of the hour. I am trying to think of something to purchase for our young couple for their newest arrival."

"Ya mean for the baby shower?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes. And does this make me GrandDucky again?"

"You bet your ass it does," Gibbs said with a grin, leaning against his workbench.

"What are you getting them, if I might ask?"

"I'm buildin' 'em something."

"How mysterious. I had planned to ask Timothy when he stopped by autopsy today to talk to Dr. Palmer and I, but I'd forgotten. Have you seen the sonogram? It's a beautiful baby, Jethro. But it reminds of that time when-,"

"Duck," Gibbs cut him off, gently. "I saw the sonogram. Baby looks perfect."

"Do I sense some grandfatherly pride, Jethro?"

"Oh yeah. Family is growing. And you and I get to see it happen."

"Do you know what they are having?"

"Didn't ya hear? It's a surprise. For everyone."

"Damn. I was hoping that they were merely saying that just to keep it to themselves."

"Nope." He went to hang up.

"Jethro?"

"Yes, Ducky?"

"I've decided I will not be going to New York until the baby comes. I simply cannot miss the birth of Timothy's child."

"It's good to hear that, Duck. See ya tomorrow."

"Good night, Jethro."

He hung up, before turning back to his blueprints, sliding on his reading glasses. He grinned. He was going to be a grandfather.