Sunday afternoon McGee picked up the phone and dialed the number for the DiNozzo house. After two rings the call was answered. "Hi. You've reached the bachelor pad. I'm watching James Bond right now and cannot be disturbed but if you want to try again later, I'll-"

"Tony!" McGee cut off his monologue.

The older man paused his DVD. "Oh hey Probie, what's up?"

He chuckled. "The bachelor pad, really?"

Tony laughed. "Only because my girls are gone for a couple hours. Ziva's hanging out with one of her girlfriends, so I'm all by my lonesome until they get back."

That was news to McGee. "I didn't know Ziva had girlfriends."

Tony sobered. "She didn't used to, but she met Lina while on maternity leave. They're really good for each other."

"Glad to hear it."

"So, what can I do for you?" Tony asked, grabbing another handful of popcorn.

Tim sighed. "I'm calling in a favour."

"Oh?" Tony's ears perked up. "Well in that case, I'm at your disposal."

"Good," McGee grinned, "because Abby is thirty-three weeks pregnant and demanding I assemble the rest of the baby furniture. I started with the crib, but after one look at the directions, I realized I needed backup."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes," Tony promised, glad for the chance to even things up a bit. Trying to gauge how long it might take, Tony realized Ziva and Chaya might be home before he got back. He left a note for his wife anyways, to meet him at Abby and McGee's.

He arrived and Abby met him at the door. "Thanks for coming." She giggled. "Timmy needs moral support."

Tony sniffed the air. "Do I smell dessert?"

She crossed her arms and glared. "Chocolate cake, from scratch." Tony licked his lips and she swatted him. "Work first, we'll talk about compensation after I see how you do."

"It'd be pretty good incentive," he pointed out, but Abby shook her head and gestured to the stairs.

"Go help my husband."

He saluted. "Yes ma'am."

Entering the nursery, Tony found McGee sitting on the floor with parts spread out around him and a page of instructions abandoned in the middle. "Giving up already?"

Tim looked up and grinned. "I'm programming the baby monitor, that is much more in my area of expertise."

Tony lifted an eyebrow and propped his fists on his hips. "It's baby furniture, how hard can it be?"

An hour later he wanted to eat those words. "Why do they give us so many of these little pieces anyways?" he grumbled. "This is the third time and we still have parts left over!"

McGee covered his face with his hands and groaned. "Abby's going to kill me."

Gibbs appeared in the doorway with a coffee and appraised the situation. "Yup."

Both men jumped and Tony frowned. "Boss? What are you doing here?"

He looked down at the nametag Abby had pressed onto his shirt. "Safety Monitor."

"She doesn't trust us," Tony summed up. McGee's face fell but Tony shook his head. "I wouldn't trust us either, look at this mess!"

"Abby wants a safe place for her baby to sleep," Gibbs put in. Then he picked up the instructions and started giving orders that Tony and Tim were quick to follow, glad to have someone who knew what they were doing take charge.

More than two hours after they first began, the guys were adding the finishing touches. Finally they stood back and surveyed their handiwork. "There, done," McGee declared happily.

Tony made a face. "I still don't see how something this simple could be so complicated. Good thing you were here Boss."

Gibbs finished his second coffee. "Mmhmm."

Just then the doorbell rang and Abby left the kitchen to answer it. Ziva stood on the front porch with Chaya, holding a note. "Do you have my husband?"

"Yes," Abby laughed, pulling her inside. "And you're just in time for dessert."

The men came downstairs and Tony made a beeline for his wife and daughter and lifted Chaya into his arms. He kissed Ziva. "You found me."

She rolled her eyes. "It is not hide and find when you tell me where you are."

"Hide and seek," Tony corrected. "Can't wait until you're big enough for that game princess." Gibbs came up beside him and just stared. Tony heaved a sigh and handed over the baby. "I don't know who gave you first dibbs," he grumbled.

Abby shook her head. "Stop complaining and come have cake Tony," she suggested. His face lit up at the prospect of something sweet and they all settled at the table.

After one bite, Ziva's eyes darted to Abby. "This is very good."

She grinned. "Thank you. Old family recipe." A minute later Abby looked at Gibbs, uncertainty in her gaze. "Should I have invited Celeste?"

Tony's head came up. "Yeah Boss, how's being married?" He refrained from adding 'again', hoping to avoid the inevitable headslap.

Gibbs chewed and swallowed slowly, aware that all eyes at the table were slowly being drawn to him. "Good," he said at last, turning back to Abby. "She's working on her editing project. Almost done. Even I wasn't allowed to interrupt her today."

Abby sighed. She and Celeste were slowly becoming friends and she was trying hard to accept the treasured place the woman held in Gibbs' life. No longer trying to shut Celeste out, Abby often just forgot to think of her. "You can take some cake home for her," she decided, feeling better about it.

Once dessert was over, the company got ready to go and Gibbs was handed a plastic wrapped plate. Abby hugged them all in her usual flamboyant fashion and then hurried upstairs to examine their handiwork while McGee cleaned up. Gibbs drove home - they'd decided to stay as his place on weekends - and walked in to find Celeste sitting at the kitchen table, papers spread out all around her and a look of intense concentration on her face.

He set the plate down on a clear space and kissed the back of her neck. "Almost done," Celeste murmured, not even moving.

Gibbs got a fork out of the cutlery drawer and put it with the cake, then started running water to do dishes. When he glanced over his shoulder, Celeste was rapidly jotting down notes at the bottom of a page. She must be one of the only editors left in today's world who still does everything by hand, he mused. Just one more reason they got along so well, even if she was better with computers.

He was rinsing the last dish when she came up behind him, drawing her hand slowly down his back. "Hi." Gibbs dried his hands and turned around to kiss her. Celeste smiled. "Sorry for ignoring you."

His lips brushed her nose. "You gave me fair warning this morning. All finished?"

Her eyes lit up. "Packed and ready to be sent." She made a face. "Now I have to face Jenna again."

He slid his hands behind her back. "What are you going to tell her?"

Celeste sighed. "I'm not sure. I enjoy working for her and it's a good place to make contacts, but I don't want to give up my freedom by staying too long."

Gibbs rubbed his thumbs over her lower back, feeling the tension she carried from sitting all day. "So make her a deal. Say you'll work on two or three projects a year and the rest of the time you do your own thing."

She put her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. "Good idea. I knew I married you for a reason."

"Something more than just the obvious physical benefits," he smirked.

Celeste rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't go that far yet. I want to sample my cake before you start thinking about taking me upstairs."

"Can't say it's not on my mind."

"You are worse than a teenage boy sometimes," she accused, returning to the table. Patting the chair beside her, she looked back at him. "Come tell me how supervising went. I see you got tagged."

Gibbs pulled off the label and tossed it in the trash. "If Abby's child is anything like her mother, I'm going to come home from babysitting covered in stickers."

"And loving every minute of it," Celeste predicted, then drew her eyebrows together. "Her? I thought Abby wanted a boy."

He shrugged. "What she wants and what she gets may be two very different things. 50/50 chance either way. But I like the idea of having granddaughters running around, little mini-clones of their mothers."

Celeste took a bite, savouring the moist chocolate dessert. "You are a softy."

Gibbs leaned back in the chair. "Don't tell anyone, it'll ruin my image."

"I think your girls are onto you already, but my lips are sealed," she promised.

"Good." He kissed her because he could and sat there basking in the peace of what was now his life. It was good not to be alone.

NCIS

"Blitz!" Tami crowed triumphantly, causing groans around the table.

Jimmy dropped his cards on the table. "Why are you better at this than us?"

Tami and Breena shared a look and giggled. "Because girls can multi-task," Breena said gently, kissing his cheek.

"Well, you are just learning," Tami conceded. "But when Trevor and I play in pairs games, we're unstoppable."

Matt leaned his head on his hand. "Isn't it kind of unfair to play with someone who can read your mind?"

Tami shrugged. "It's not like we can help being twins. But it's nice too, no one knows you better."

Breena started sorting cards into piles based on the pictures. "I'm glad you introduced us to this game Tami, I never heard of Dutch Blitz before I met you."

"I'm just thrilled to have people to play with again," Tami shared, starting to shuffle her cards. "I always keep a deck with me, but it's hard when you need three other people. My siblings and I used to play all the time, but I haven't gotten much practice since school."

"It seems like we've known each other longer than a couple months," Breena observed, "but Jimmy and I really like having another couple to hang out with."

"I love the team," Jimmy clarified, "but I don't always fit, especially now that they're all married."

"I know what you mean," Matt agreed, counting cards into his ten pile. "I miss working with them, but I was always on the outside."

Jimmy nodded in sympathy. "Replacements never go over well on Gibbs' team. When Ziva...well, when she was gone, no one stayed longer than a month. It just wasn't the same."

Curiosity lit Matt's eyes. "Do you know the story? No on would ever tell me why she's so special."

The autopsy assistant pushed up his glasses and folded his hands nervously "I know some of it. But I'd have to ask permission to tell you. It's very personal."

Frustrated at being left out again, Matt nonetheless respected Jimmy's position. "That's fair. Okay," he rubbed his hands together, trying to lighten the mood, "let's get started. I'm feeling lucky this time."

Tami couldn't hide her smile. "That's what you said last time."

He raised an eyebrow. "Bet you an ice cream cone that I win."

She chuckled. "As long as you're prepared to pay up."

"Someone's got to knock you off that high horse."

Tami's competitive spirit kicked in and she counted them down to start. The table was a flurry of hands getting first cards out and then quiet while they flipped through their piles. As soon as one person got a streak it seemed to set everyone else off, but in the end no one was more surprised than Jimmy when he came out the victor. Even though Breena had to nudge him and remind him to announce his win, he was so excited that the others couldn't help applauding.

Later when Breena and Jimmy left, Tami went to the shelf in her livingroom and pulled out a book, holding it carefully before she looked up at him. "We're not supposed to know about this," she began, biting her lip, "but Abby said something once about Tim writing a book, so I did a little digging." Tami handed the thick volume to her boyfriend. "It came out last month. Maybe this will have the answers you want."

Matt took the book, his eyes drawn to the hazy cover shot. He opened it and skimmed the description, feeling a heaviness in the pit of his stomach. He nodded, not sure now if he wanted to know. "Thank you."

She shrugged. "I haven't read it yet. I tried, but after a few pages all I could see was our friends and...it was too much. But I hope it helps you understand them better." Tami hugged him and touched her lips to the corner of his mouth. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He pulled her close. "Not even going to say goodby properly?"

Tami gave in and kissed him, then closed the door behind him. Maybe they actually could make this work. No one had ever stayed as long as him. That had to mean something, right? She could only hope. She didn't want to let this man go - ever.

NCIS

Gibbs entered the lab Monday morning carrying the required blue No Caf Pow cup. Abby turned around and he stopped to take in her appearance, frowning. "We got a case I don't know about?"

Abby looked down at the red evidence garage overalls and shook her head. "Nope. But I'm huge and I give up trying to wear normal clothes. I'm going to stick with these from now on."

Argument was futile so he handed her the beverage and kissed her cheek. "See you tonight."

She nodded. "Yup. But Sammy's staying with McGee this time. There's too much in your basement that puppies shouldn't get into."

Gibbs remembered the interesting time of it they'd had a couple weeks ago and nodded. "Okay. Don't get bored."

Abby chuckled. "With a puppy, an assistant, and Bert I'm set."

"Okay." Gibbs turned to go and Abby hesitated.

"Umm...is Celeste going to be there?"

He shook his head. "Nah. I heard something about a romance movie marathon." Gibbs made a face. "I think we'll have lots of time."

Abby grinned. "Good."

NCIS

The beginning of the week only made Ziva acutely aware that she didn't have therapy to attend tomorrow. It nagged at her all day and finally she took her cellphone to the alcove by the stairs and dialed Devon's extension. Her assistant, Jorah, answered. "Dr. Andrews' office."

"This is Ziva DiNozzo. Does Devon have any appointments available tonight?"

Jorah flipped a page in the daytimer. "She stays late on Mondays Ziva, she could see you at seven."

"That would be fine, thank you," Ziva agreed, feeling a surge of relief. For all the time she'd spent at Ops working out emotions and the talking she and Tony were doing, it just wasn't enough this time. Speaking of Ops, Ziva realized she'd better let Duke know she couldn't come today so he wouldn't call looking for her.

Tony left early as usual, once Chaya had nursed, and took her home for a bath. Half an hour later Ziva also said she needed to leave and Gibbs didn't ask any questions. While her husband thought she was training with Duke, Ziva made her way downstairs to a familiar hallway. Devon's outer office was dark since Jorah had already gone home, but light showed under the door, so Ziva let herself in.

Devon looked up from the paperwork on her desk. "I didn't expect to see your name on my schedule today."

Ziva took a seat in the chair for once, facing Devon. She liked that the room was only lit by a lamp, it felt less formal somehow, easier to talk. "I could not wait until next week."

The doctor's eyebrows drew together. "What happened Ziva?"

She shrugged. "We had sex."

There was no excitement in the announcement and Devon's heart sank. "And?"

Ziva ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "It was not what I expected. Tony was...he was so gentle Devon, but as much as I was able to take him into my body, the experience was not what I hoped."

"How so?" her doctor asked.

Her eyes flitted from place to place. "It was uncomfortable. I had a flashback before we even started, but Tony helped. He did not last long and I did not mind." She pulled her knees up to shield herself. "Later I had a nightmare - I threw up, I could not be near him and I had to shower. But we talked after and I thought everything was okay. The next day I was sore, it reminded me of a first time. Then Tony asked me and I had to be honest, that enjoy was not the right word." Ziva shook her head. "He pulled away very hard and we did not speak all day. But that night he still joined me in the shower to kiss and touch me and reassure himself. Afterwards we talked and I held him in bed. We have been okay since then, but I did not expect it to be so difficult."

"You and Tony have made physical intimacy a goal," Devon observed. "And I think it was in the back of both your minds that when you could finally have sex, everything would be okay. You would be healed and life would be normal. But it doesn't work that way. You still have horrible memories that reflect on sex and your body had not forgotten what it feels like to be violated. So yes, intimacy is possible now, but that does not erase the consequences of your captivity."

Ziva frowned. "I do not understand the nightmare - Tony did not frighten me. The worst part was letting him in, but at least that was a choice this time. He did not make me think of Somalia."

Devon's expression was understanding. "Maybe not at the time, but your subconscious was well aware of the similarities. You're not afraid of Tony, but his touch is real and he is there - your actual experience with him is bringing the memories back up and make them real, that's what you're fighting, what your mind and body are reacting to."

Ziva's next words came out very quiet. "He is afraid to touch me now. Not that he has stopped," she elaborated, "but Tony is careful not to let any of our time together get to the point of acting on desire." She seemed uncertain. "I am not entirely sure I want to have sex again right away, I dread disappointing him or falling back into Somalia as a result of being intimate, but neither do I want us to avoid it forever."

Devon tapped her pen. "I wish I could tell you that this will not last long, that if you give it a little time your desire for your husband will eventually not be tainted by shadows of that terrorist camp. But I can't make any promises - each case is different and you and Tony will have to find what works for you."

That wasn't what Ziva wanted to hear. "Will they ever go away, my memories?"

"One day they'll fade into the background Ziva. Some parts of that event you will always carry, but you are working so hard to overcome everything, that I think your life here, the love that binds you to this place and these people, will eventually be strong enough to keep the nightmares and all recollections of Somalia far from your mind."

Ziva nodded, her eyes fixed on the rug. "I would like to stay for a little longer."

"Of course," Devon agreed. "As long as you need. That's what I'm here for."

NCIS

Hours later a Goth walked slowly down familiar basement steps. Gibbs had a large worktable set up in the back corner, which he'd cleared of boxes to make room. With his glasses on and a small toy in hand, he reminded her of the toymaker from an old kids movie. He looked up. "Hi Abs."

She approached the table. "It's coming along great." Abby ran her hands slowly over the smooth wood of the completed toy chest. "Thank you for doing this."

Gibbs met her gaze. "He or she is my grandchild Abby, you're my daughter. I want to do this."

Abby sat heavily on the stool and reached for a piece of sandpaper to work on the dresser drawer knobs. Gibbs put the last piece into place on the train engine and moved onto the dresser drawers that still needed to be assembled. They worked in silence for a long time before Abby sighed. "I don't think I'm ready to be a mom."

"You're never ready to be a parent," Gibbs informed her. "But then you are and you figure it out as you go."

She dragged the rough paper carefully over the round knobs. "When Kelly was born, were you scared?"

He stopped what he was doing. "Scared spitless from the moment they put her in my arms. She was so tiny and delicate and helpless, I didn't know how to deal with the fact that she depended on me for everything. It was weeks before Shannon could convince me to give her a bath by myself. I was so scared I was going to drop or break her."

Surprised that he'd shared so much, Abby got in more questions while she could. "Did that ever change?"

Gibbs leaned his hands on the bench and thought back. "When she was two months old Kelly fell asleep on my chest when I came home after working a late shift on base. That was when it hit me - I was her dad. She trusted me, she knew me. And I knew that for her I could do this. So I did."

Abby's hand caressed her stomach. "I love my baby Gibbs. We didn't plan him, but I don't regret getting pregnant. I just...I'm afraid to be alone. Timmy will go back to work and I'll be all by myself." She looked down. "I'm not good at being just me without anyone else. I need people."

Gibbs rubbed his hand over her shoulder. "We'll make sure you aren't alone Abs. The team will visit, you can come to NCIS, even spend time in your lab as long as Tami isn't doing anything dangerous. I promise."

She threw her arms around him. "I love you Gibbs."

He held her close. "Love you too Abby. Always will."