"And in the interest of Owen and Olivia Russel, they will be awarded permanent custody to Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Anthony Dante Gibbs." The judge said, banging down his gavel and smiling warmly at the couple who each had one of the toddlers in their laps.

Tony grinned brightly as he leaned over, kissing Gibbs lovingly on the lips, then lifted Olivia up into the air, "Hear that butterfly? You get to stay with us!" Tony said excitedly, bringing the giggling toddler back down to him and kissing her repeatedly all over the face.

Gibbs sighed in relief, hugging Owen to his chest – The past month of paper work and court dates had been extremely stressful, and during that time Owen and Olivia were only permitted to stay with them for the weekends. Gibbs smiled as Owen wrapped his arms around Gibbs' neck and stood up "Does this mean we getta stay wif you forever?" Owen asked, looking between the two men.

Gibbs nodded, kissing the side of Owen's head gently "Yeah buddy, this means you get to stay with us forever." Gibbs said as he stood up, holding his hand out towards Tony.

Tony smiled as he slid his hand into Gibbs' hand and stood up, the two men kissing once again and then trading cheek-kisses with each toddler "Now it's time to go home and get those bedrooms decorated, however you want!" Tony exclaimed, tickling Owen's stomach and nuzzling the little boy's head gently.

Owen giggled as he wrapped his arms around Tony's neck and transferred easily to the younger man's arms, "I can help paint wif you?!" Owen asked excitedly, looking between Gibbs and Tony with wide eyes.

Tony nodded as they all began walking out of the court room "We'll see Owen, painting can be extremely difficult, and even I have trouble with it." Tony said, thinking about all of paint remover he'll have to buy for the floors and clothes, letting a two year old paint his bedroom.

Gibbs chuckled as he looked over at their waiting friends in the lobby of the court house "Look whose here!" Gibbs said, pointing in the direction of Garrett, Austin, Ducky, Palmer, McGee and Ellie.

Owen and Olivia squealed excitedly as they dropped from Tony's arms and raced over to the group of friends, Olivia launching herself into Garrett's arms and Owen launching himself into Palmer's arms, both of them talking a mile a minute about living with Gibbs and Tony.

Tony sighed as he leaned into Gibbs' side, wrapping his arm around his husband's waist as Gibbs wrapped his arm around Tony's shoulder, both men looking at their entire family interacting together "They are going to grow up with so much love and support…" Gibbs said quietly, resting his head against Tony's head.

Tony nodded, kissing Gibbs softly on the forehead "But even with all this love and support, you still want to think about retiring?" Tony asked curiously.

"It's not just about the kids Tony… I'm sixty years old and I have never done what I truly wanted to do in life." Gibbs said, sighing as he looked over at Tony "I want to start making and selling furniture…" Gibbs said, firm in his resolve as the couple headed towards their children and the group of friends.

Tony nodded and smiled "Alright, well we'll work out the details later… Right now we have two very excited toddlers that we have to get moved in completely." Tony said as he kissed Gibbs lovingly on the lips before joining the rest of their family and scooping Olivia up into his arms and swinging her around.


After Olivia and Owen had picked out their themes for the bedrooms, Gibbs went out and picked up several buckets of princess pink and navy blue paint colors for the children's bedrooms, and returned to start painting the rooms with the twins. Tony went out and began buying the themed décor for the bedrooms – Princess themed décor for Olivia and Racecar themed décor for Owen.

It took Tony several hours, and several stores to find all of the things that would suit the children's bedrooms – Gibbs had plans of building the twins their own beds once he'd put in his retirement papers, so Tony decided on holding off on bedding sets until they were finished. Tony walked into the house with several bags in his arms "I'm home!" Tony called out.

"We're upstairs in the bathroom!" Gibbs shouted back, several giggles chasing after Gibbs' words.

Tony shook his head as he set the bags down on the coffee table, turning towards the still open door "Come on Garrett! You're about as slow as molasses in the winter time!" Tony griped, jumping up and down on the tips of his toes.

Garrett chuckled as he carried in several more of the shopping bags and set them down with the others "As if it's my fault you decided to buy out every store we went to. They're only two Tony, do you think they really need all this stuff?" he asked, looking between the dozens of bags and Tony.

Tony nodded enthusiastically, "Of course they do! We have to make them feel at home, and if decorating their bedrooms the way they want helps the process along, then that's what we have to do!" Tony quipped as he headed towards the bottom of the stairs "I'll see you Saturday for lunch?" he asked, looking over at Garrett.

Garrett nodded and smiled "Yeah, Austin and I will be here. See ya Tony!" Garrett exclaimed as he headed out of the house.


Tony bounded up the stairs and stood in the bathroom doorway, looking at his husband and the twins who were all sitting in the large Jacuzzi tub with mounds of soapy bubbles surrounding them "Why are all three of you in the tub?" Tony asked, wrapping his arms around his chest.

Gibbs looked up at Tony and grinned brightly, flecks of blue and pink paint clumping in his silver hair "No reason… Did you buy any paint remover?" Gibbs asked, looking down at Owen and Olivia who were playing in the mounds of bubbles.

"You're covered in paint… I can only imagine what the kids look like." Tony said, shaking his head slightly as he sat down on the closed toilet seat.

"Not nearly as bad, they got bored halfway through painting Owen's room…" Gibbs said as he scrubbed vigorously at his head to get the flecks of paint out.

Tony chuckled as he looked at the drowsy toddlers, "Alright guys, how about we give Jethro a chance to shower, and we go get you in some jammies?" Tony asked as he collected two towels, Owen and Olivia both nodded tiredly as they stood up.

Tony smiled as he wrapped Owen and Olivia up in their towels, then helped Gibbs up to his feet "Swim trunks… Okay…" Tony said, stifling the giggle that threatened to escape as he collected Olivia and Owen in his arms.

"You have a better idea?" Gibbs asked as he unknotted his swim trunks and looked at Tony, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

Tony shook his head and leaned forward, kissing Gibbs lovingly on the lips "Nope, now take your shower." Tony said as he walked out of the bathroom and headed to the spare bedroom where the kids would be sleeping for the night.

"Is bedtime already?" Owen asked as he was settled on the bed next to his sister.

Tony nodded as he dried the twins hair rather quickly and efficiently "Yeah buddy, aren't you sleepy? I know I am!" Tony said as he faked a yawn, smiling down at the two toddlers who both yawned in response to Tony.

After getting Owen dressed in his rocket ship pajamas, and Olivia in her Disney princess pajamas, Tony laid in the center of the bed with a toddler on each side and a stack of books in his lap, he'd read through all of the books quickly and honestly didn't like either of the stories, Gibbs came into the room and chuckled quietly "Do I have to read all three of you a bedtime story?" he asked, sitting at the foot of the bed.

Tony nodded, pouting out his bottom lip slightly "None of these stories are good enough, daddy." Tony said, a slightly wicked smile crossing his face before returning back to a pouted expression.

Gibbs chuckled as he situated himself in the center of the bed next to Tony and sandwiched on the other side was Olivia, he divested of the books on the nightstand and the family of four laid back in the bed, "Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there was a great King named… Tommy." Gibbs began, looking between three eager faces.

"How far away?" Olivia asked curiously, echoed by her twin brother "Yeah, how far away daddy?" he asked, grinning sleepily as he snuggled into Tony's side.

Gibbs swallowed the thick lump of emotion that quickly formed in his throat, having heard the word daddy from Owen was a completely different ballgame from having heard it from Tony – It had been nearly thirty years since anyone had called him daddy – Tony sensed the changed in Gibbs' demeanor and smiled sadly as he wrapped an arm around Gibbs' shoulders and brought his husband closer, kissing Gibbs' temple gently "Tommy lived in a place called Baltimore, and that's a very faraway place." Tony supplied easily, having known where Gibbs was going with this story.

Gibbs nodded and snuggled against Tony, "King Tommy was the fairest, most brave king of all of Baltimore, and was always catching bad guys – One day, Tommy was out patrolling his kingdom when he came across the baddest guy in town, and his name was Grumpy Tibbs." Gibbs said, finally able to continue with the story.

Olivia and Owen looked on with tired eyes, which were fluttering open and shut several times "King Tommy had never seen Grumpy Tibbs before, and although King Tommy had taken down several bad guys before, Grumpy Tibbs was not someone King Tommy wanted to mess with, but Tommy had to protect his kingdom so he began chasing Grumpy Tibbs, hoping to get the bad guy out of his kingdom and restore the peace and order of his beautiful land." Gibbs said quietly, lying his head against Tony's shoulder as the twins began slowly drifting off to sleep.

Tony looked at Owen and Olivia who were pressed firmly against their bodies and now sound asleep, "How are we supposed to get out of bed?" Tony asked quietly, resting his head on top of Gibbs' head.

Gibbs shrugged slightly "Perhaps tomorrow night we should lay on the outside of them, and them in between us… We're not going anywhere." Gibbs said as he shifted down in the bed slightly, Tony following suit as the family of four laid in the queen sized bed in the guest bedroom.


Gibbs woke up the next morning lying diagonally on the bed, with Tony laying across his chest, Owen lying across his legs and Olivia still tucked neatly against his side, her small fist tucked into her mouth and the other tightly clenching around Gibbs' t-shirt.

Gibbs felt cramped, and could feel it in every muscle as he tried turning his head to look down at his watch, which was tangled in the back of Tony's shirt. Sleeping with three people was definitely different from just sleeping with Tony, and he knew his body would protest this arrangement for most of the day.

Tony smiled as he kissed Gibbs' chest softly and turned his head up to look at his husband "Morning." Tony whispered softly, blinking away the sleep from his eyes.

Gibbs smiled "Morning, how'd you sleep?" Gibbs asked softly as he brought his hand up to the back of Tony's head, gently carding his fingers through his husband's hair.

Tony shook his head slightly "Not so good. I've had a foot pressing into my bladder for the past few hours. Been scared to move Owen's foot though…" Tony whispered, snuggling deeper into Gibbs' chest and sighing tiredly.

Gibbs chuckled quietly as he twisted Tony's hair around his fingertips "Well we have to get up, my back is protesting this position terribly." Gibbs said, grunting slightly as he tried pushing Owen off his legs.

Owen whimpered and wrapped his arm around Gibbs' leg "No, no, no!" Owen protested tiredly.

Tony sighed as he slowly sat up in the bed, "Come on Owen, Jethro and I have to get up, but you don't have to, you can go back to sleep." Tony said as he carefully lifted the sleepy toddler up and settled him in his spot as he got out of the bed, then kissed Owen on the back of the head then moved around the bed to move Olivia out of the way so Gibbs could get up.

Olivia offered no protest to Tony moving her, or when Gibbs got up and Tony laid her back down, she stayed asleep and then curled back into the warmth of the bed when laid back down. Tony and Gibbs limped awkwardly out of the bedroom – Tony straight for the bathroom and Gibbs downstairs to the coffee pot to get it going – on Gibbs' way downstairs, he looked at the LED clock on the mantle and shook his head, it was only four in the morning, but he felt wide awake, but lacking the caffeine that usually gave him his morning boost of energy.

Tony came down into the kitchen a few minutes later with a sleepy Olivia in his arms, her hand twisted in Tony's shirt and her eyes half open as she looked around the room tiredly "Guess moving her wasn't the best of ideas – Owen is still out cold though." Tony said informatively as he settled Olivia on top of the counter next to Gibbs, where she curled into Gibbs' side and yawned monstrously.

Gibbs shrugged as he lifted Olivia up against his chest, while sipping his coffee with his other hand "Probably not, I'm sure she'll be back to sleep soon enough, it's only four in the morning." Gibbs said as the two men headed into the den with their two-year old little girl.

Tony laid his head on Gibbs' opposite shoulder as they watched the weather channel and sipped on his coffee "So, you going to talk to Vance this morning?" Tony asked quietly, glancing up at Gibbs curiously.

Gibbs nodded as he shifted Olivia down onto the couch and collected his coffee mug from the table and sipped at it slowly "Yeah, I'll talk to him and figure out my future career as a woodworker." Gibbs said, grinning as he laid his head atop of Tony's head.


Gibbs stood on the catwalk, waiting for Vance to arrive at the office, and staring down into the bullpen of NCIS; a place he'd worked at for the past thirty years. Leaving NCIS would be one of the hardest things he'd ever have to do regarding his career, but he knew that the two kids that were sitting in Tony's lap were much more important than risking his career over, now only if he could convince Tony of that fact as well.

Vance sighed as he patted Gibbs on the shoulder "Ready to talk Jethro?" Vance asked as he continued on towards his office, not looking back to see if the older agent was following him in.

Gibbs sat down at the desk, resting his head on his closet fist as he waited for Vance to get situated behind his desk "Alright, let's hear what you've got to say." Vance said, sipping his cup of coffee and then settling his hands in his lap as he leaned back in the large leather chair.

"I'm ready to retire." Gibbs said plainly, lifting his cup of coffee up to his lips and casually sipping at the liquid, looking at Vance with a raised eyebrow.

Vance stared at the older agent for a long time in silent contemplation as he let the words that Gibbs had just spoken sink in. Several minutes ticked by before Vance nodded his head and smiled slightly "Thought I'd never hear you say those words. I suppose those two delightful little bundles of energy downstairs had something to do with this decision?" Vance asked, withdrawing a toothpick from his inside jacket pocket and slipping it between his teeth.

Gibbs nodded slightly "They're part of the reason, yes… But I'm also ready to do something for myself. Gonna start building and selling furniture." Gibbs said proudly, grinning slightly as he twirled his coffee cup around in his fingers slowly.

Vance nodded as he stood up "I'll have your papers written up and on your desk this afternoon, will that be an acceptable time for you?" Vance asked as he walked over to his filing cabinets, flipping through the files contained within.

Gibbs stood up and nodded as he headed for the door "Noon is fine. See you then." Gibbs said, tapping on the doorframe as he walked out of the office, pulling Vance's office door shut behind him as he headed across the catwalk and to the elevator, then straight down to autopsy.

Gibbs walked into autopsy and sighed as he sat down on one of the unoccupied tables, kicking his feet back and forth as he waited for his oldest friend to exit the office. Ducky walked out of the office a few minutes later and smiled warmly "Ah Jethro, hiding from your family once again?" Ducky asked, chuckling as he grabbed his rolling metal stool and rolled over to Gibbs, sitting next to the older man and resting his forearm on the metal table.

Gibbs laughed, shaking his head slowly as he looked down at Ducky "No, nothing like that. I came down to give you the news… Whether its good news or bad news is to be determined as of yet." Gibbs stated as he continued kicking his feet back and forth slowly.

Ducky looked at Gibbs with a raised eyebrow, "Well don't keep me in suspense here, Jethro. Tell me what your news is!" Ducky demanded in a gentle tone.

Gibbs furrowed his brows slightly, looking down at his knees and the tips of his shoes as they went past his knees on their outward swing "I'll be putting in my retirement request today around noon…" Gibbs said quietly, glancing over at Ducky who had an impassive expression on his face.

Ducky nodded slowly, a slow smile curving the corners of his lips as he patted Gibbs affectionately on the kneecap "That is wonderful news Jethro! I suppose the twins will be most excited to have you at the house!" Ducky exclaimed happily as he stood up, hugging the younger man warmly.

Gibbs grinned, chuckling slightly as he returned the hug and nodded his head "I'm sure they will be as well. Tony and I haven't told them yet, doubt that they'd understand right now. But staying home and taking care of them isn't the only reason why I'm retiring…" Gibbs said, shrugging his shoulders as he went back to swinging his feet as Ducky reclaimed his stool and looked inquiringly at Gibbs.

Gibbs smirked sheepishly as he twisted his palms together slowly "I've decided to start making furniture and selling it… I'm finally going to do what I want to do with my life, now that I can…" Gibbs said, shrugging his shoulders slightly as he looked over at Ducky.

Ducky smiled affectionately as he patted Gibbs knee affectionately once again "That's wonderful Jethro! You will make many people happy with your wonderful creations!" Ducky enthused as he stood up "Now, as much as I'd like to continue our conversation, I do have a few friends that need attending to." Ducky said, gesturing his hand towards the two bodies lying underneath white sheets on the autopsy table.


Gibbs sighed, his hands shoved into his pockets as he walked around the building slowly, reminiscing about the days spent within the confines of the structure. Gibbs found himself standing on top of the catwalk once more, staring down into the bullpen where his team was all sitting at their desks, Tony still had Owen and Olivia with him, Owen sitting on the floor and Olivia in his lap as they both colored in their books.

Gibbs shook his head slowly as he thought about the years wasted, he looked directly at the back of Tony's head and frowned slightly, wishing he could take back a lot of the hurt he'd caused over the years to the one person he had fallen in love with since Shannon died. Gibbs lowered his head to his clasped fists and for the first time in a long time, he said a silent prayer that he could continue making this relationship and marriage work the way it had been so far and he could protect his newly acquired family members from any danger.

Tony bounded up the stairs quietly, having left Olivia and Owen in the care of the team, he walked over to Gibbs and smiled sadly "Having second thoughts about this decision?" Tony asked softly, resting his hand in the center of Gibbs' spine and gently rubbing up the vertebrae.

Gibbs shook his head as he stood up a bit straighter, "No… No. I'm not having second thoughts. I was uhm… I was just praying that… I don't screw this up…" Gibbs said, grasping Tony's hand and frowning slightly "You… Owen and Olivia… I can't mess this up Tony, I can't lose you guys…" Gibbs whispered, lying his forehead in the curve of Tony's nose.

Tony smiled softly as he kissed Gibbs gently on the lips and brought his freehand up to the side of Gibbs' face, "You're not going to screw this up Jethro… and you will never lose me, or the kids. We're a family, all four of us, and we will always be there." Tony whispered, nuzzling against Gibbs' head gently as he wrapped his husband in a comforting and reassuring embrace.