After

by Gottahavemyncis

These are the stories of 'After' as the Gibbs clan forges their new lives. 5th in the series that started with Heartbreak; previous story to this is Fallout. A few surprise appearances. This story will be confusing if you haven't read the other stories, series order on my profile. Canon divergence. Disclaimer is on my profile.

20. Chapter 20

Note: this last chapter is very long but I wanted to get it all in without adding more chapters. Thanks again to everyone who's come along with me through the Serendipity series, following this sometimes frightening journey through Tim & family's adventures. See note at the end for future plans. Momcat, you're back just in time for the finish!

Chapter 20

While their children had new adventures with the animals, the new children and the first summer above ground at the ranch, several long days passed for the Timothy Gibbses with no word about the DNA results.

The couple was busy at work and home, too busy to think much about Henry's DNA. As long as they were able to adopt him, they didn't care about anything else. They were very happy when Barb and Jerry Bishop arrived on a surprise visit to meet their new grandson. They thought it would be easier to get to know him at home on the ranch rather than waiting for the trip to Ruidoso. Shy at first, Henry soon warmed up to his Grandma and Grandpa Jerry.

At work one Wednesday afternoon, Tim answered a call from Secretary Porter. "Good afternoon, Ma'am."

"Good afternoon, Timothy. Tell me, are you working on a case, anything you can't leave for the afternoon?"

Tim replied, "Your timing is impeccable, Madam Secretary. I've just finished my review of several cases going to court and was starting preliminary quarterly evaluations."

She chuckled, "I envy your organizational skills. All right then, then I'd like you to go home. I'm on my way to Albuquerque and I have something I want to talk about with you and Ellie. Leon's clearing her early leave with her supervisor. Are your parents and kids home?"

"Yes, the kids stayed home today and my parents are with them. Ellie's parents are here too, came down to meet their new grandson."

"Wonderful! All right, I'll see you in about…90 minutes, give or take a few."

"No hints?"

"Not a one!"

They disconnected and Tim scratched his head, wondering. He hoped it wasn't a transfer but that certainly wouldn't require a personal visit. The presence of Ellie seemed to preclude anything bad, some huge something he'd done wrong or forgotten. Again, that would have to be of major importance for a personal visit. It'd be more likely for him to be ordered to her office. He shrugged, guessing they'd find out soon enough and sent Ellie a text that he was ready to leave whenever she was.

One floor down, Ellie saw his text as her supervisor motioned her into the office. "Director Vance just called, saying Secretary Porter has requested that you be released from work this afternoon."

"The SECNAV…me? I don't understand."

The woman shrugged, "I believe she wants to see you and your husband."

"Oh, I under…no I still don't, but she is the Secretary, I guess I'd better go!"

Her boss chuckled, "I can't wait to find out what it is! I just hope it isn't a transfer."

Ellie made a face, "Me either!"

She met Tim in the parking garage, both of them shrugging at each other. Ellie frowned, "Did you hear from Leon or Porter?"

"Porter and she'd already talked to Leon."

"Any hints?"

"No, except she asked if my folks and the kids were home and seemed very happy when I mentioned that your folks are here."

"Huh."

With no kids, they'd driven Ellie's truck in this morning. They drove home, speculating all the way. Ellie frowned, "I wonder if she's staying for dinner, can't think what we have."

Tim huffed, "I know we have a lasagna in the freezer. Or we can order pizza."

When Ellie gave him a horrified look, he laughed, "You drop in on people with no notice, and you get what you get. Besides, she's seemed fine with casual other times."

"You're right."

They drove onto the property and on to their driveway, seeing that the kids and their grandparents and a few other people were in the pool.

Tim sighed, "Good, no one here seems to be getting ready for anything."

"Yeah, that's good. I want to get in that pool, how long do we have?"

"About 63 minutes."

"That's long enough, come on!"

Parking in the driveway next to Jethro's truck, they jumped out, waved to the swimmers and ran into the house. Within three minutes, they ran across the cul-de-sac in their swim gear, flip-flops, carrying beach towels.

Smiling at their parents and kids, they both jumped in the deep end of the new in-ground pool, surfacing together and racing each other to the shallow end, the kids cheering them on. Jethro and Jerry were waiting for them, declaring a tie.

Tim looked up, "So did you guys get a weird call this afternoon?"

Jerry shook his head but his eyes told the truth. He could read his father-in-law although rarely his father. And Dad was grinning, "What kind of weird call, Timson?"

"Secretary Porter called me, told me to come home and she'd already talked with Leon, cleared Ellie to come with me. But she wouldn't say why."

Jerry nodded, "Leon called your dad to tell him she was on her way but didn't say why."

Tim shook his head, "So weird. Just when you think you've got these people figured out…"

Ellie tapped his shoulder, "Come on, let's swim some more before we have to get out and get dressed."

"What, she can't see us in our swim…yeah ok."

They swam with each other, with their kids and played with the littles. When Jerry's smart phone buzzed, they sighed and got out, motioning to the kids. "Come on, she asked about our kids so she wants to see you too. Maybe we can get back in the pool afterward."

The Palmer kids frowned, "Do we have to get out too?"

Nonny nodded, "I'm afraid so, Victoria, Teddy. Ricky, you come too, I'll take you home. You can get dressed and then hang out with your cousins."

"Ok, Nonny."

Nonny and Grandma Barb took them to the Palmers house, across from the pool, while Poppy and Grandpa Jerry helped their kids with the grandkids.

Once inside the Gibbs' new house, adults and kids quickly dried off and dressed. Everyone wore shorts and tank or sleeveless tops except Ellie. She pulled out a new sundress and quickly put it on with a pair of sandals. Lia liked that and insisted on changing to her favorite sundress and sandals. Henry was a bit bewildered about what was going on but when his new mama and daddy didn't seem worried, he decided it was all right.

They lined the kids up and went down the row with a comb and hairbrush. When they finished, the kids giggled and Brynie said, "Daddy, your hair is sticking straight up in pieces, like Uncle Tony's used to!"

Tim tried to pat it down with his hands but his father grabbed the brush and pulling his head to him, managed to get his hair flat. And then ruffled it before freeing his head. "There, now you can blame me!" Jerry was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. Until he and Jethro realized they hadn't changed yet, which made everyone else laugh.

They were back in the living room when Nonny and Grandma Barb came in with the Palmer children. Both Jerry and Tim's smart phones buzzed with a 7-minute warning. Tim frowned, "Where are we supposed to meet them? At the gate, the ranch house or here or…?"

Jethro smiled, "It's too hot to wait outside. Why don't we drive up to the ranch house and wait there?"

Tim gave his father a look; he knew something more than that Porter was on her way. There was no time to question him and he knew he wouldn't get any information anyway.

Moving Ellie's truck, all 8 kids were tucked into the van, Ricky on Ellie's lap and they followed Dad's truck to the ranch house.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

Tony was perplexed when Leon called and told him his team was off rotation and they were all to go to the ranch, even Evan Fuller. He added that he'd already told Maggie the same thing. When Tony balked, Vance chuckled, "It's a family thing, DiNozzo. Go on, get going."

So he did. The look on Evan's face was priceless when Tony told him they'd been ordered to the ranch. All of the clan kids were home at the ranch today. Arin and Juli were spending time with their granddad Barnes and whichever of the grandmas and aunties were around.

As Tony pulled out of the garage, he spotted Ned, Maggie, Evan and Jimmy doing the same thing. He'd also noticed Ellie's truck was gone. Wondering what was going on, his eyes opened even wider as he spotted Leon's SUV pull up to the curb at the day-care center and Lara and the twins climbing in. Evan, the Vances, Ned….was it all the NCIS'ers, their spouses and kids? Then he frowned, Leon hadn't said anything about Mindy Fuller and their kids. Or Breena or Ned's partner Barry, for that matter. Weirder and weirder.

The gate was open when they got to the ranch and Tony drove in following Tobias' car; he could see Breena's vehicle in front of him. Seeing Arin and the Colonel on the front porch of the ranch house, Tony parked across the way and most of those behind him did the same.

Jimmy hesitated but then pulled in and blinked as Rob, Ali, Kelly and Matt pulled in beside him in Matt's SUV. To his utter amazement, his in-laws parked next to Matt's big SUV. Climbing out, he grinned at Breena, who'd driven home, found the cul-de-sac empty and returned to the ranch house.

Looking at each other, they all shrugged and then hurried to get out of the way of other vehicles pulling in. They hurried across the driveway to the front porch and the air-conditioned house.

By now, the house was getting pretty crowded and several people wandered down to the shelter where there was plenty of room and cool air.

Almost the last to arrive were Bec and Geordie in their respective vehicles. Geo had been upset when he was ordered to go home but when his CO told him it was by order of Secretary Porter, he'd nodded, hoping nothing was wrong. Luckily, his wife's last class of the day was finished and Bec did not mind leaving early. She anticipated some sort of party and with any luck, pool time.

The Vances came in last, having first driven to Kirtland Air Force Base to meet Secretary Porter and assorted other people. Once everyone was welcomed and situated, Leon's driver led the way to the ranch. As they drove, Lara wondered, like everyone else but her husband and one other person, what was going on.

She turned to look behind them and shook her head at the string of large black SUVs. "Where did they bring them in from?"

Her husband chuckled, "I'm guessing Kirtland and perhaps the Marshals."

"Wow, there's….I can't even see how many of them!"

"Yep."

"You really can't say?"

Leon chuckled, "Hon, you'll know soon enough."

She made a face, "With the whole clan there we'll have to be in the shelter."

Her husband made a noncommittal noise and she sat back, still pondering.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

Tim, Ellie and their kids were in the ranch house. Henry had gone from bewildered to scared when people started pouring into the house and Tim had him in his arms in the house library, speaking softly to him, telling him he was safe and loved, no one was going to take him away or hurt him. Ellie had Mackie who was also frightened and the couple paced back and forth, passing each other, giving each child a kiss with each pass. Lia, Ty and Brynie were with their grandparents in the playroom where they'd taken the rest of the children.

Tim frowned when he heard helicopters overhead. Henry was calmer, so he took a chance, walking onto the front porch with him. Ellie and Mackie joined him and then quickly called for Ty, Brynie, Lia and their grandparents. As three helicopters flew over the area, several big black SUVS pulled in through the front gate, stopping in front of the house. Tim frowned at the first vehicle and then smiled as the Vance twins waved at them. Henry knew them, he'd met them twice now and he smiled. "Zach an' Zoey, Daddy."

"Yes, sweetie, and their mommy and daddy, Auntie Lara and Uncle Leon."

Henry clapped his hands and Tim gave him another kiss. "Want to get down?"

He shook his head and Tim hugged him closer, "Ok, Henry, that's fine."

As Lara and Leon got out of the car, each carrying one of the twins, the other SUVs stopped to allow them to cross the driveway. The Vances were welcomed, Henry and Mackie giving them kisses, the kids squealing their greetings to each other. Lia arrived in the arms of her Grandpa Jerry, along with Ty and Brynie.

The Vances stood on the porch, enjoying the spray mister, watching with the Gibbses and Bishops as more SUVs rolled in. Tim still could not imagine what was going on, it almost seemed like an invasion. He felt a hand on the back of his neck and half turned. "Dad, can you tell me now?"

"Only that they're here for you, Timothy. I am so proud of you, son."

His mother was suddenly there, kissing the side of his face that wasn't Henry occupied. "I am too, my sweet boy."

Her hair tickled Henry and he giggled. One of the SUVs stopped close to the house while the others made a square around it. Tim still didn't understand and the only time he'd seen this many SUVs and this type of security arrangement was when the President…oh. He sucked in a breath and again felt his father rubbing his neck. "Relax, son."

"Dad, that's…"

"Yep."

Jerry reached out to gently touch his arm. "We're here, Tim, all of your family. We're right here."

Tim nodded and relaxed a little when Ellie appeared beside him, still holding Mackie who was more curious about the cars than scared. Tim heard the front door opening, turning his head he saw his brothers, sisters and their spouses, including the Palmers, joining them on the porch. He smiled at them, relieved to see them. Maisie, Ducky, Lu and Penny were next, followed by the Hubbards and Cranes. It was a good thing that front porch was built wide and long as Bill, Ana, Freddie, Jose, Barry and Ned were next to join them.

Tony and Geordie made their way up behind Tim, each touching him. He smiled, his two older brothers, how lucky could a guy be. He'd decided not to think about what was going on; just having everyone he loved here was wonderful.

He blinked several times when he saw the people exiting the SUV in the center of the square. First came the one he'd figured was here, the President. She was followed by Secretary Porter and then a man whom Tim recognized as one of New Mexico's senators. Empty of passengers, the SUV moved further into the ranch as another took its place. That one discharged Secretary Benson, the second senator from New Mexico and the governor of the state.

As the President approached the porch, Tim moved to walk down the steps, only to be stopped by his father. When Henry giggled, Tim realized someone behind him was making funny faces at him, probably one of his brothers as Mackie was also giggling. Ty and Brynie were brought up through the crowd while Jerry and Lia remained next to Ellie.

When the President reached him, Tim smiled, "Madam President, this is a wonderful surprise! Welcome to Rancho La Serenidad."

"Thank you, Director Gibbs, I'm pleased to be here and that this is a surprise."

Tim introduced her personally to Ellie, then the children, his parents and in-laws. Then he paused, looking at the crowd and saying, "My siblings and their families are also here along with the rest of our family." With a smile, she waved and many of them waved back.

His father was by the front door and made a gesture, "Ma'am, there are more people inside the house and in the shelter where it's much cooler. If you'll follow me?"

He took Henry, while Mom took Mackie and the three littles disappeared inside. Tim, Ellie, Ty and Brynie stayed to greet Governor Martinez and the two senators, glad Leon remained with them. Once inside the house, they were told the Secret Service was in place in the shelter, it was safe for the President and the others to enter.

Glad they'd made a wide mulched path through the basement garden to the tunnel, Tim and Ellie led the way through the house to the basement stairs, the President and Secretary Porter following just behind them. Ellie silently blessed the SECNAV who was telling the President about the visit here just a few weeks ago.

When they got to the basement, the President stopped. "Oh, what a lovely garden!"

"Thank you, Ma'am. My sister-in-law Dr. Bec Childers is a botanist; she decided we would grow indoors in clean soil this year. Next year, we'll plant outdoors. We also maintain a garden in the shelter. Means all our vegetables and most of the fruit is home grown."

"Wonderful! Secretaries McCord and Porter are very impressed with all your work and I can certainly see why."

Tim just nodded, gesturing to the tunnel, "If you'll follow me, Ma'am." When he looked at the two Secret Service men with her, one gestured with his head to keep going. He and Ellie led them through the tunnel, answering questions about Dad's workbench, the lighting and the two storage cabinets still there. "It's always cooler so we keep most of the foods we've canned down here."

As they walked into the shelter, there was a burst of cheers and applause and Tim stopped, turning to the President. She smiled, "Oh no, that's for you, Timothy."

Swallowing hard, he took Ellie's hand as they made their way in past the laundry, past Pete's room to the common area. He'd seen the cars, seen most of the people but it was still a shock to see nearly all of his former shelter mates there. Then he smiled as he saw laptops with familiar faces on them via Skype: Elaine and Jacob, Jared Vance, Pete Ware and to his astonishment, Rick and Denise Carter in London. He heard Abby's voice and grinned at Maggie who was holding her phone up.

He turned to find Secretaries Porter and Benson grinning at him. Secretary of Defense Benson had spotted the house phone, "Is that the phone you called us from, with the locations?"

"Yes, Mr. Secretary, except that you called me."

He let his head drop as his siblings made noises. The President chuckled, "And where is your friend who had the book?"

Ducky came forward and shook hands as he was introduced to the President and Secretary Benson. He smiled as he handed the book to Benson. "When I realized who might be coming today, I pulled this from our library upstairs. You can see Timothy's notes are still in there. He handed me a note where he'd scribbled the words he remembered, essentially having me do a blind check. The second note contains his thoughts on the translations leading to his belief the attack would be on the Fourth of July."

"Wonderful, thank you so much for showing us. Timothy, we'd like to make copies for posterity. You'll want to keep the originals."

Numbly, he nodded as Ellie squeezed his hand.

"Thank you."

Ty raised his hand, "I recorded it on Granducky's phone." He looked at his father, "I knew it was something big, Daddy. And then I didn't tell you because you were so sad after the bombs. I told Granducky so he wouldn't delete anything and then Aunt Breena. This afternoon when I saw the SUVs I told Poppy."

Ducky smiled, "My nickname is Ducky and I am known as Granducky to our children. Tyler, will you please show me where that is?"

"Sure." Ty started going through the phone, glad when his father put his hand on his shoulders. He'd been afraid Daddy would be mad at him for not telling. That day when they'd gone to look for treasures, he'd thought at first that it would be interesting to have something from their last day in Virginia and maybe to record all of the treasures they saw. But he didn't have his phone with him so he'd asked Granducky if he could borrow his. When he saw his father's face as he picked up the book, he recorded everything from that moment. "Here it is." Tyler handed the phone to Secretary Benson who looked around, "Is there another laptop down here?"

Ellie held out her hand, "We have a TV still in the media room and I know there's an HDMI cable down here somewhere."

Bob nodded, calling out, "Ellie, the HDMI cable was in the classroom last time I saw it. I'll go look for it if someone wants to roll the TV in to the common area."

Tony called, "Already on it, thanks Bob." He and Callum rolled it out, placing it next to the outer wall of the media room. "Ma'am, we've found this wall has the best lighting for viewing. This is where we ran movies when there were too many people for the media room."

Bob handed him the HDMI cable while Secretary Benson handed the phone to a teenager, Callum. Within a couple of minutes, the crowd was watching Ty's recording.

It started with his father picking up a book and his comments to Ducky.

Tim picked up a book, asking, "What's this?"

Ducky looked up, studying the cover of the book, "Ah, that is a fascinating look at ancient Greece and many things that are no longer commonly known. For example, did you know that the Greek language that loaned so many words to Latin and the rest of the world was not the main dialect? There are several ancient dialects, Arcadocypriot, for example is one of them."

Tim looked at him, staring but Ducky saw that he was thinking. Then he paled, saying, "Do you…are there examples of these dialects, with their words, alphabets? And I need my phone…no Ducky, I might need to use your landline, is it still working?"

"Yes Timothy, the dialects are here in the book and yes my phone is still working, cutoff is tomorrow."

Standing next to Tim, Ducky took the book and opened it to the chapter that had the most information about the various dialects. Tim ran his finger down, evidently looking for something specific. He stopped at something, flipped the page, and ran his finger down again, making an unhappy noise.

"Ok, I do need your phone. Then please take Ty, Lia and Ricky somewhere else in the house? Breena too." He shook his head, "No, first, Ducky, will you please tell me what you find for these?" Tim quickly wrote down several things, handing the paper to Ducky.

The older man took the list, found them in the pages and writing down his answers, handed the list back to Tim who looked as if it were a venomous snake about to strike.

"I - thank you. Changed my mind; stay please, both of you and the kids too. Ducky, I might need you to find something else in the book and Breena needs to know. Tyler too."

"All right."

Tim was dialing as he spoke and when the call was answered, he said, "Timothy Jackson Gibbs, Senior Agent NCIS, ID 111803107-D, Passcode 57S*&H9M6."

He waited before saying, "Imperative I speak with Secretary Benson immediately. I've solved the last cipher and it changes everything."

There was silence; Tyler stood with Granducky, Breena stood still, a book open and forgotten in her hand while Lia and Ricky played with an empty box.

Tim put the phone on speaker as a voice said, "This is Secretary Benson, Agent Gibbs. We're in the Situation Room and you're on speaker so the President can hear you."

"Thank you, Sir. Referencing the NSA files, as you know, we did not solve the last cipher in the third file. Until now. I'm at a friend's house sorting books; he has one on Ancient Greece and told me about some dialects most of us don't know about. And that's it. The last part of the third file had four languages: Sumerian, Phoenician, Ugaratic and one we couldn't identify. Now I know it's called Arcadocypriot.

"The characters in the cipher that are in that dialect mean the number four, the number seven, the words day and month. The Ugaratic cipher had month and hours; there is no word for day in Ugaratic. The Sumerian and Phoenician both had characters that translate to the word freedom and the word tyranny. Madam President, I now believe the attack is going to happen the fourth day of the seventh month, July 4th, our Independence Day. The day we celebrate freedom from tyranny."

There was a huge explosion of background noise; Tim supposed they were talking about evacuation. Finally, he heard the President's voice speaking to him, "Agent Gibbs, what's your confidence level?"

"95%, Ma'am. It finally makes sense. The files talk about attack and unleashing nuclear devices but no date. We saw references to harvests and waning seasons and that led to our estimate of an autumn attack. And possibly that's what they meant us to think. If they're as arrogant as they must be then they wouldn't believe we'd have the knowledge to figure out the phrases in four ancient languages and what they meant."

"All right, well done. We have an evacuation plan ready, we'll start implementing it immediately. When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow Ma'am. Those of us with children are flying out on a charter, the rest are following after loading up moving vans."

"And which group are you in?"

"The first one. My wife and I have three children and another on the way."

"Are any of your children with you now?"

"Yes, my son Ty and my baby daughter Lia."

"May I speak with them?"

"Of course."

Ducky brought Lia over and held her while Ty handed him something and then took the phone. "This is Tyler Dean Gibbs and my baby sister Lia Hope Gibbs is listening."

"How old are you and your sister, Tyler?"

"I'm 6 ½, Mrs. President and my sister is…" he looked at his father who whispered, "8 months."

"My sister is 8 months. Our other sister is 5 ½ but she's not here."

"I see. Well Tyler and Lia, I want to tell you that your father is a hero; he's just saved many lives. Did you hear what he said?"

"Yes, Ma'am but I don't know what those languages are."

"That's all right, Tyler, you'll learn all about them as you grow up."

"Cool, thank you!"

Tim got back on the phone and answered a few more questions, telling whomever he was speaking with the name of the book and the author. He and the others then listened for a few minutes as the cabinet and the Joint Chiefs put things together.

When Benson got back on the phone, Tim had another epiphany, "Sir, time zones -we talked about this before; we don't know what time zone they're in. They may set off the attack at midnight their time."

"What's the greatest time difference?"

Tim had his chart up on his phone, "Tonga, 17 hours ahead of DC."

"Very well, Agent Gibbs that will be our deadline then. Thank you! Expect to hear from us once things are settled."

They disconnected and Tim patted Ducky's book. "Think that's going with us on the plane."

"Yes, I should say so!"

"And I think we'd better plan to get everything moved to the warehouse tonight. Maybe we'll all sleep there. It's closer to the airfield than most of our homes and there is a bathroom."

"We can stay here, Timothy, we're less than five miles from the airfield and I know the backroads. You're welcome to join us. All the extra beds are staying behind."

"Thanks, Ducky, we'll see. Now, we originally came over to pick out a treasure or two."

"You mean besides the answer to the cipher?"

Tim gave him a nervous nod, "Yes."

Breena went back to sorting books, still reeling with what she'd witnessed.

As the recording ended, the crowd erupted with whistles, applause and foot stomping. Tim gave them a weak smile, holding onto Ellie and Tyler, with Ducky next to them. When the noise died down, Breena stood up. "Ma'am, I'm Breena Slater Palmer and I have something to say to Tim, my thoughts about what happened that morning." At a nod, she continued, remembering her thoughts from that day, "Tim, I've known you as a friend for almost as long as I've known Jimmy. I've known you as a fellow parent, part of Gibbs' team, a member of Ducky's family and one of Jimmy's colleagues. But this…Jimmy's told me about your brains and I've seen things since that morning but not before. I'd never witnessed that side of you, the one who made the connection with the archaic language – from just a comment Ducky made! Then you just picked up the phone and called a number, got right through to the Secretary of Defense and the President. And they're here with us now! I'll never forget that morning, never. When Ty told me he'd recorded it, I was so relieved. I'll never forget and now no one else that's seen the recording will forget either."

With a nod, she sat down as the President smiled at her, "Thank you, Ms. Palmer. And Tyler, your recording is wonderful, thank you very much. When we're through with the trials and with our father's permission, I'd like to make that public." At the look on Tim's face, she smiled, "Or we'll wait a few years. I don't know much about film-making, young man, but you may have a budding career in it, judging from this. How did you know what to do?"

"Thank you, Mrs. President. My cousin Callum Hubbard taught me how to look for interesting things and film them; he makes short movies. "

"Ah, then thanks also to Dr. Mallard and Callum Hubbard!" They nodded their heads, both grinning.

The President looked at the crowd, "This has been a very informative prologue to our reason for being here today. Timothy Jackson Gibbs, please step forward."

Reluctantly dropping Ellie's hand, Tim walked forward to stand next to the President. She smiled at him, "One of the happier duties of the presidency is giving credit where it's due, honoring Americans. Today, it is my great pleasure, in recognition of your part in our survival against nuclear attack, to honor you with the Presidential Medal of Freedom." Tim leaned down as she placed a wide ribbon with the large medal pinned onto it, around his neck. He swallowed hard, nodding and currently incapable of saying anything. Feeling his wife, children and parents joining him, he relaxed a little.

Then he smiled, turning to look at his family. "Thank you. All of you. Every single one of you plays a big part in my life, helps me in ways I don't know how to explain and I'm so grateful we're here. Madam President, I thank you for the honor, I'll treasure this and what it means for the rest of my life."

She shook his hand and then patted his shoulder, whispering, "Thank you Tim. Without your insight and dedication to your country, we wouldn't be here. This isn't just from your President; this is from me personally. You saved my child and her children."

He whispered back, "Ma'am, there's one more person here who was part of that but she can't be honored publicly, not even with this group. If I can introduce you to my siblings, she'll be part of them. Her name is now Ana Campo but it was Ziva David when she took that thumb drive from our dead or dying agents and got it to whoever she gave it to."

Her eyes widened, "She's here, now?"

"Yes, Ma'am, she arrived here with the refugees from Bacia. She had no idea we were here nor did we know until she exited the jet."

"All right, we have another award to present and then I'll need a few minutes of privacy, paper and a printer to put something together before I meet your siblings."

"The library is private and there's an old laptop, printer, table and chairs in there."

"All right. Thank you so much for telling me. We looked for her but the CIA said she disappeared and I didn't want to chance endangering her."

Smiling, Tim stepped back and stood with his family. His father patted his shoulder, whispering, "I can still read lips, Elf Lord, although I only saw her half of the conversation."

"I know, Dad, I just hope no one else saw it. There's no media here, right?"

"No. Leon says that Secretary Porter convinced Madam President of the need for privacy, especially with the trials not yet started. Assume at some point in the future your name might be released as a winner of the medal but not anytime soon."

"That's a relief!"

The President cleared her throat and they quieted. "I'm also here to assist in honoring the work of many of you in helping the recovery of our fellow evacuees from the East Coast. Now, I should tell you, there's been a lot of discussion about this. Not if the award should be given but which award and by whom. Because I knew I was going to give Timothy the Presidential Medal of Freedom, I graciously…" she smiled mischievously and people laughed, "allowed our esteemed Senators from New Mexico to have the fun. They're both here, Senator Udall, Senator Heinrich, please join us."

Two men moved forward, both smiling. The older one spoke first, "Thank you, Madam President. Director Gibbs, congratulations on your award, I've never been so grateful for someone's work in achieving it."

Tim nodded before saying, "Thank you, Senator Udall. I do have one clarification. My title is Regional Director or Agent Gibbs. Leon Vance…" he motioned to his boss who laughingly waved his arm in the air, "is the director of NCIS, the entire agency. I'm in charge of several of our Cyber Crime units."

The crowd chuckled and the Senator nodded to him, "Very well, Agent Gibbs, that's easier to say than Regional Director."

That got a big laugh from everyone who worked at the agency and knew Tim's preference for the title Agent. Tony called out, "It's actually Special Agent."

When Tim rolled his eyes, the Senator chuckled, acknowledging that with a nod and moved on. "The privilege my colleague and I wrested from the President is one that is voted upon and approved by both houses of Congress. Now, may I ask everyone to stand who is a member of The Grove Limited Liability Company?"

He nodded in approval when everyone stood, including some of the children. "Great! And who is your chairperson?"

The crowd cheered when Geordie, still in his fatigues, raised his hand. "Ah, Major, please join me."

Tim, Ellie and the kids moved into the crowd while Jethro and Shannon stayed put, beaming with pride.

The senator shook Geo's hand, "Major Perry, thank you for your service for our country and with the Marine Corps. Is your wife here as well?"

With a grin, Bec moved forward, baby Alex in her arms, Aunt Mel by her side.

Geordie introduced his wife, Dr. Childers, their son Alex Gibbs and Bec's aunt Mel, who'd raised her. The senator smiled, "She's part of your family."

"Yes, Sir."

"Great. Now, in the House of Representatives and Senate, we occasionally agree on an award. It has to be approved just like any other bill but in this case, there's usually no politicking around it or not as much.

"You folks, in doing all the work you did, epitomize the definition of a citizen's group helping your fellow evacuees, a grass roots organization. And you did it without waiting for government intervention. From the records we've researched, you were the first in the country to do what you did.

"In forming your LLC, purchasing the property, dividing into teams, putting all the work into the engineering, having a new environmental impact report done, designing the homes to be placed amongst the native vegetation and then purchasing used shipping containers and converting them, using solar power for the whole development…it's been an amazing process. Senator Heinrich and I have been watching since we first heard about it and agreed that your group deserved to be honored. For the work you've put in, for housing, giving comfort and sustenance to more than 8000 evacuees over the past 9 ½ months as well as inspiring thousands of our folks to also provide help, Congress has voted to honor your organization with the Congressional Gold Medal, along with our thanks for your efforts. We were even prouder when you recently extended a welcome to the Americans repatriated from Bacia with less than a week's notice.

"Let me tell you a little about how this medal is awarded because it's not easy. First, legislation bestowing a Congressional Gold Medal upon a recipient or organization must be co-sponsored by two-thirds of the membership of both the House of Representatives and the Senate before their respective committees, the House Committee on Financial Services and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, will consider it. As you can imagine, gaining approval for this is exceptional. Major Perry, please accept this award on behalf of The Grove LLC for the positive contributions to the recovery and welfare of your fellow Americans and Evacuees."

Geo smiled as the medal was put in his hand. He held it up. "This is for the entire LLC, congratulations to all of us!"

Ed Slater called out, "What's on it?"

"The front of a house with an open door, a welcome home sign, a basket of food, a man, woman and child with one suitcase standing in front of the door. The words The Grove LLC are on the bottom. The back is divided into four sections with the land before, then an excavator and two people working, then corners of two shipping containers and lastly, one person painting the exterior near a door where two other people are carrying in a piece of furniture. On the dividing lines, it says 'Grass' on the vertical line and 'Roots' on the horizontal line."

Geordie held the medal on the palm of his hand while Bec handed Alex to Mel, pulled out her phone, took photos of the front and back and then displayed them on the TV screen. After the group expressed their enthusiastic approval, Geordie turned to the senator, "Is there a way to have copies made, smaller ones, for everyone in the LLC?"

"Yes, Major. I admit we've done a little poking around to find out how many people make up the LLC. Luckily, formation of an LLC has to be published in public records and yours has been well documented, updated with additional members. We've had smaller medals struck for each member."

More cheers and applause followed that and then Liz and Shannon stepped forward, "For anyone who's hungry or thirsty, we have cake and beverages in the classroom. Jimmy, yours is in the refrigerator. Children, remember company first."

Tim shook his head grinning. "Ok, so someone knew about this."

His father and godfather laughed, "Yep, but we didn't find out until this morning when Secretary Porter called. And she didn't say exactly what was happening, just that we were going to have several visitors this afternoon and needed to have all the NCIS'ers and all members of the LLC present. Liz and Shannon called Elaine who said there was no time to bake a big enough sheet cake, to order one from Costco and reminded them to make something special for Jimmy."

One of the Secret Service men sidled over, "What's the something special?"

"Dr. Jimmy Palmer is diabetic and our shelter chefs always made him and one other diabetic shelter mate food they could safely enjoy. Elaine Rourke, who was on the laptop earlier, left several recipes behind for Jimmy and anyone else."

The man nodded, "Great, is there enough for two, would it be all right if I had some of his dessert rather than cake?"

"Of course!"

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

Everyone gathered around the table with the cake, waiting for a slice. Shannon looked up, "Let's do this our usual way. Kids!"

Those gathered around turned to the beverage table, grabbed their drinks and found a place to sit while the kids, including Kayla and the other college students, passed out slices of cake. Jethro took Jimmy's dessert out of the refrigerator, plating two pieces and carrying them into the classroom. Handing Jimmy his, he looked around for the Secret Service agent, who was standing against the wall behind the President. He smiled his thanks at the dessert. As Jethro turned away, the President turned around, "Ray?"

"It's diabetic-friendly, Ma'am."

She smiled, "Wonderful – enjoy!" She leaned over to Ellie, sitting near her. "He's been recently diagnosed and having a difficult time adjusting. Especially with our schedules."

Ellie nodded, "We have several recipes our chefs wrote up while we were in shelter. I can give him copies."

"That would be wonderful, thank you. He's been guarding my family for a long time. That long, people become family. Do you like to cook?"

"No, Ma'am. In our household, I take things from the freezer, make salads and do the cleanup with the kids. Luckily, Tim loves to cook."

"Good choice! I don't cook either and my husband only likes to barbecue. I'm afraid our poor daughter had to learn to cook or die of malnutrition."

Ellie laughed, "I'm pretty sure that's why Tim learned too."

The President chatted with everyone near her as the cake was enjoyed. As she dawdled over a cup of very strong coffee, she leaned over to Ellie. "Which one is Ana?"

Startled, Ellie wondered if Tim had said something or maybe one of the State Department people. "With the short light brown hair and hazel eyes. She's wearing a coral top and sitting next to Geordie."

"That's easy - he's the only one in fatigues! All right, I see her. I'd like to meet personally meet everyone here, will you help me?"

"Of course! Kids too?"

"Yes, that would be great!"

When Ellie saw that everyone was finished eating and drinking, she passed the word to Jethro who smiled, "Cool!"

With a whistle, he got everyone's attention, "Would everyone please stay seated for a bit? Ed, are you and Ginny in a hurry?"

They shook their heads, "Our daughter Colleen is handling things tonight Jethro, thanks."

"Ok." He looked at the President, nodding.

She rose, "I seldom get a chance to meet many people on a personal basis and your family, your clan as I've heard some of you call yourselves, intrigues me. If you don't mind, I'd like to meet each one of you. I'm not running for anything, this is a personal interest."

She laughed when everyone stood. "Oh dear. Well, all right, let's do a receiving line then." Still laughing, she led them into the shelter proper. "One more thing, if you'd like to share your connection to either or both that would be great."

Standing against the kitchen 'island', she smiled at Mac, first in line, "Madam President, I'm McKenzie Fielding, the proud maternal grandfather of Tony, Geordie, Tim, Sarah, Rob and Kelly, honorary grandfather of Jimmy and Breena Palmer, Ana Campo and Abby Sciuto, who lives in Chicago. That makes me a very happy great-grandfather to all their children, there are 14 counting Ellie and Tim's unborn child. And my daughter Shannon is an only child!" She shook his hand, congratulating him on his family. He laughed, "I had nothing to do with it; it was all Tim and Jethro!"

Leaving her with that little mystery, he moved on. Next up was Colonel Barnes who saluted her. "Madam President, I'm Richard Barnes, retired from 40 years in the Corps. My daughter Maggie is married to Jethro and Shannon's adopted son Anthony DiNozzo. They've given me two wonderful grandchildren, Arin and baby Juli. I believe I'm the happiest I've ever been living here with my family and friends. Oh and I'm a member of the LLC."

"That's wonderful, Colonel, thank you." And there was another little piece of the puzzle about the Gibbs family, an adopted son.

She met Penny, Lu, the Cranes and Hubbards, all of whom came into the family via a connection to Tim. Next were the Mallards and her eyes widened as she heard of their double connection with the Gibbses, to Jethro and Tim via work and to Tim via his adoptive mother. That was another revelation, that Tim had been adopted by people at some point.

The Slaters followed the Mallards. They told her they were the parents of Breena Palmer, who'd spoken earlier and the in-laws of Dr. Jimmy Palmer, who was regarded as the unofficial son of Donald Mallard as well as being part of the Gibbs' family. When questioned, Mrs. Slater smiled, "Jimmy was Ducky's protégé and as assistant medical examiner worked closely with Gibbs' team at NCIS. Jimmy's father died before we met him and over time, Ducky stepped into that role. In the meantime, Gibbs and team were evolving into a family, including the medical examiners."

"Thank you, that explains a great deal."

Pleased they could help, the couple moved on. The line moved on until Jethro and Shannon Gibbs reached her. She shook their hands, greeting them warmly. "I'm so impressed with your clan, it's wonderful! I don't think I've ever seen anything like it."

Shannon smiled, "I'm afraid I haven't had much to do with it. Our daughter Kelly and I were in protective custody for 25 years while Jethro built his team, which eventually grew into a family. When we were released 4 years ago, my husband had all these grown kids! And he'd discovered his connection with our son Tim, whom I'd been told died shortly after birth and I'd never told Jethro about him."

Jethro smiled, "Tim was a package deal. He'd grown up believing he was the son of a Navy officer and the older brother of Sarah. When the Navy officer was killed, Tim and Sarah were abandoned by their stepmother who told the rest of the family they were dead. The kids ended up in Baltimore where they met Geordie and Rob. They grew up together living in a transient camp where they became friends with Bill, Barry, Freddie and Jose, who are somewhere in line behind us. That's also where Lu comes into the family. Anyway, our four adopted each other. When we discovered that I'm Tim's father, I adopted Sarah, Rob and Geordie. Tony and I met through NCIS, he worked for me for as my second in command, we grew into a surrogate father-son relationship and made it legal last year. Abby, who's not here, was our forensic scientist and became my surrogate child. Same with Ana."

"So neither of them is an official Gibbs?"

"Correct. There's also Jimmy."

"Ah yes, his in-laws explained his relationship with Dr. Mallard and your family."

She smiled as she continued to shake hands with Palmers, Perrys, DiNozzos, Chalmers and 2 sets of Gibbses who were both doctors. In line between the younger brother who was a doctor and Timothy and family was the woman Ellie pointed out earlier. The President smiled to herself, excited that she'd be able to thank the elusive woman responsible for rescuing that thumb drive and saving them.

When Ana introduced herself, giving her current back-story for her connection to the Gibbs' family, the President took her hand and held it, pressing a many times folded piece of paper into it. Leaning forward, she whispered, "Thank you Ana, for saving us. God bless you."

Ana nodded, confused and definitely overwhelmed. Like Tim, she hadn't wanted any sort of recognition but now she understood this President would keep her name to herself. While Tim and Ellie were introducing their children, she slipped out of the shelter and headed for the cul-de-sac. She had a key to Ellie's 'getaway' room in the McGees' home, given to her so she could have privacy or a hiding place if she needed it and today she did.

Once inside with the door locked and the lights on, Ana got comfortable before carefully opening the folds of the paper given her by the President. She blinked away tears as she read, noting the date printed at the top:

"Dear Ana,

When Regional Director Timothy Gibbs whispered to me that there was someone else at the ranch, in the shelter with us, who deserved to be honored but had to remain anonymous, my heart started pounding. I hoped I knew who he meant, the mysterious woman who saved more than 40 million of us from certain death. Without revealing any details, he confirmed my unspoken question.

Thank you. You saved us by getting that thumb drive to us, which led to Tim joining the decryption team at the NSA and ultimately led to his successful deciphering of the third file and the evacuation that uprooted and saved us. I know a little of your background, know your life has been very difficult. I hope that the knowledge of the people, the children, you saved, makes the rest of your life easier. Never forget that you not only saved 40 million people, you saved your own family.

I had our overseas operatives quietly look for you. When they reported you'd disappeared and we could be further endangering your life by continuing the search, I ordered them to stand down. When we were processing the papers for Timothy's Presidential Medal of Freedom, I also prepared one for you, using a generic name previously used for an award winner who wished to remain anonymous. I've enclosed a photo of it and pray that someday you'll claim it.

Here in this place, your new home, it's clear to me that you are dearly loved by the clan. My hope and prayer for you is that you have peace in your heart.

With eternal gratitude,

It was signed with the President's full name, her title and # of presidency underneath

Ana later praised Ellie for her stock of facial tissue. When her friend looked confused, Ana explained. "Tim told the President about me. She wrote me a sweet letter that made me cry." She smiled, "I too earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom although it is currently registered as having been awarded to Kilroy, whoever that is."

Ellie stood in thought, finally remembering something her grandfather, a World War II vet, told her. It seemed wherever American soldiers went, in Europe or the Pacific, they would find a graffiti cartoon, or leave one behind, with a bald guy with a big nose and two hands looking over a wall, with an inscription that said, "Kilroy was here".

Both women found that amusing and Ana particularly liked that Kilroy was an anonymous American. She later learned that several countries had their own version of Kilroy. In Australia, he was named Foo. In the UK, he was Chad or Mr. Chad.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

The day after the award ceremony, life returned to normal-ish. Honored by the medal and happy his family was with him, Tim was monumentally relieved that it was over with and they could all return to their routines. However, his wife, children, parents and siblings were still processing everything that had happened yesterday. Mid-morning Tony sent him a text saying he was working on a great joke, was it too soon?

With a laugh, Tim replied, "Yes and major bonus points for asking. Try again in about 5 years."

Tony's reply: "5 months, got it!"

Shaking his head, Tim returned to work. His attention was diverted again that afternoon when Lara Vance sent out a new information sheet for the kids' day and after-school care. He looked and then returned to his work. He'd look at the thing on Saturday when he wasn't supposed to be working.

Saturday early afternoon, Ellie was out shopping with Ty and Brynie while the littles were napping. After checking on them, he settled in to read what changes were happening at Lara's center. He read several items before he started thinking about the kids.

School would start in mid-August with Tyler entering the 3rd grade and Brynie the 2nd. While Tim was proud of his children and would love them at any age, he was beginning to wish he could freeze time. Ty and Brynie, his second set of babies after raising Sarah and Rob, were still young. They still called their parents Mommy and Daddy, adored their grandparents and siblings and weren't yet caught up in the enticing spider webs of the outside world. He thought another year might be too late. He thought Time would have to be frozen soon, maybe after the new baby was past the 'scary' stage.

That particular whimsy disappeared with a scream as 22-month-old Lia, who had been asleep three minutes ago, decided to jump from her bed to her favorite beanbag chair and crash-landed instead. Luckily, she hit her target but definitely needed some training on landing. She was more scared than hurt. Uncle Jimmy checked her out at the clinic and found no broken bones, sprains or strains. After her bruises healed, she quickly forgot her disgrace while her parents still spoke of helmets, elbow and knee pads for their fledgling gymnast.

Within a few weeks, Lia's parents, with the help of Lara Vance, found an instructor for Lia, Henry and Mackie who would help them develop their landing skills, among other things, and would tailor their lessons to their age groups. Because Ricky did or tried to do everything Lia did, he joined them. Two and three months shy of their 2nd birthdays, Lia and Henry were taught together while Ricky had another toddler in his group and Mackie joined two other 8-month-old babies.

Tim told Ellie that next time he had the kids for naptime they were going to nap together in the playroom where he would sit and watch them.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

A few days later, they received news about Henry's DNA. One afternoon Ms. Clark called Tim at work, "The DNA test results are here. I can e-mail, mail them or leave them at the front desk for pickup. I have to warn you, it's a large stack of paper. We should be planting trees to replace the ones used for this."

Tim chuckled, "I planted three a couple of months ago, does that count? Ellie or I will come by after work to pick it up. Driver's licenses, agency IDs and badges enough to release it to us?"

"Yes, that's plenty. I've already sent the first round of registered letters to the birth parents."

"How long do you wait until you send the second one?"

"Fourteen days. Enough time for the Postal Service to return it if the addressee is no longer there or to forward it."

"Could be a long wait."

"It could be, yes."

He restrained himself from sighing, "One of us will be there by 5:00."

"That's fine, the receptionist leaves at 5 but the building is open to the public until 6:00. If either of you haven't been by before she leaves, I'll ask her to leave the packet with Security."

"Thanks."

Disconnecting, he sent a text to Ellie. He was in the middle of a case half his staff was working and he didn't want to leave until he cracked the piece he'd taken for himself. He might have a fancy title now but he was still a geek, good at cracking encryptions and solving puzzles. And he didn't want to lose that edge or he'd be useless to his staff and the agency, just another manager who'd lost touch with the work his staff performed. He'd been working on it for a few hours and was slowly making progress but he doubted he'd be done in time to make the 5:00 deadline.

Ellie replied that she could leave before 5:00 if he'd bring the kids home. That worked, if he wasn't through by 5:30 he'd take their babies home and start fresh in the morning.

He was anxious about the results, afraid there would be a relative - aunt, uncle, grandparent, cousin - who'd want to adopt Henry. The bond between the little guy, his foster parents and siblings grew stronger every day.

Channeling his anxiety and the lure of the DNA results, Tim broke through his part of the case and by 5:15, he'd sent his results to his team in Seattle. He smiled at his children as he entered the day-care. This was Henry's first week there and he was doing fine. As they'd noticed, he was used to being around other children.

His three little ones squealed when they saw him. Ty and Brynie gathered their things while their father picked up and kissed each of the littles, gently placing them in the triple stroller and stuffing the pack with their extra clothes and diapers on the rack below. When Ty and Brynie joined them, he kissed them too.

At home, they found Ellie had the air-conditioning on along with the oven. She looked at Tim, "Frozen lasagna ok tonight?"

He smiled, "Did I forget to take the chicken out of the freezer this morning?"

"Both of us forgot!"

"Ah well, not like we've been preoccupied or anything. Ok, we need an onion and a garlic. Want some toasted cheese bread with that?"

Ellie nodded, "You know I do!"

They'd visited the hydroponics garden over the weekend and now with Ty and Brynie's help, he prepared the onion and garlic to add to the lasagna before it was done. Then they prepared the cheese bread but once it was hot, covered and put it in the warming oven to keep from eating all of it before dinner.

While they waited for the lasagna to bake, they played with the kids. Ellie distracted herself for a few minutes by making a salad with mixed greens and slices of fresh veggies from their gardens. The large packet of paper was still on the entryway table when she finished. It looked like it would burst open any second and Tim said they really should plant a tree to replace the one he now believed had been used to print and make copies of Henry's DNA results. They laughed about taking photos of them planting a baby tree and putting them in Henry's memory book.

When they sat down to eat, Ty and Brynie took turns talking about that day's adventures, Lia and Henry told them what they'd done at day-care and Mackie made happy noises and babbled.

Tim usually played with the littles for a few minutes after dinner and even though he was starting to pulsate with impatience, the kids were more important than test results that would be the same later. He played with the littles while Ellie spent time with Ty and Brynie and then they switched, the last few minutes of playtime with all the kids together. The littles were bathed, dried and changed. Stories were read while cuddling and then it was time for the three little ones to sleep. Ty and Brynie had another 30 minutes before their nighttime routine and they chose to play outside in the backyard. Tim poured himself a lemonade and went outside to watch them while Ellie had some time to herself.

They'd both returned to work this week when the child psychologist they'd consulted about Henry recommended that he be introduced to day-care. He'd done so well the first day, he'd returned on Tuesday and today, Wednesday.

As he watched the kids, Tim smiled to himself. Along with everything else going on, he was working on a surprise for his wife. It was something popular a few years ago, colloquially known as a "she shed", a place where she could get away for some alone time. While she had her 'private' room in the house, he wanted her to have separation from everything so she could truly relax. Her new place would be closer to a cabin than a shed; he and Dad would make it out of adobe and build it in the garden. Ellie could have whatever she wanted in it and Tim, the children or anyone else would be allowed in by invitation only.

It bothered Tim that he had his own office but Ellie didn't really have any private space to call her own; she hadn't drawn out a space or asked for one in their house plan. While he'd insisted she have an office or what she called her private room, he didn't think having her own space in the house meant much as he or the kids seemed to interrupt her too often. He could see a comfortable chair and/or sofa or daybed, maybe a bookshelf, kitchenette, bathroom and whatever else she wanted. With six children, fingers crossed that Henry would be with them, she was really going to need a place for herself!

He'd already looked online for the smallest HVAC systems; he wanted her to be able to use the place year round. Dad figured they could build the framework in his shop and then haul it over in pieces on the back of the truck. Tim would wire it, Freddie and Jose would add plumbing for a half bath although Tim was toying with the idea of a soaking tub in there for her. He'd managed to surprise her with some spa features in their master bath and he'd love to repeat the theme in her cabin. He was still trying to figure out if a weekend would be enough to finish the thing. Bare bones, anyway, enough to surprise her. That meant he'd have to bring someone else in on his secret, someone who could spirit her away for two full days, longer if whoever it was could squeeze in a Friday night. Maybe Ali, maybe they could spend the weekend in Taos with Trish. He liked the idea of surprising her with the bare bones of an adobe cabin. Then she could pick what else she wanted. Yes, that would work!

When his watch beeped at him, he called Ty and Brynie in. Time for their showers, stories, cuddles and bedtime.

Nearly an hour later, he and Ellie sat down and looking at each other, chuckled. It was 2045 and they finally had time to look at the DNA results!

Once again sitting at their table, they carefully opened the packet but this time didn't dump out the contents. Instead, Ellie used her smaller hands to grab the stack of paper and pull. That didn't work, it was wedged in too tightly and they joked about Ms. Clark having made the envelope to fit around the stack. Suspecting it wouldn't work, next they tried to shake out the contents but they were right and the mass of paper didn't budge. Finally, they carefully cut the envelope away from the paper.

Turning over the cover sheet with Henry's name, they looked at the next page. Parents: mother Tiffany Heather Brinker and father Neil Uther Lorenz with their birthdates. Nothing new there. Except the middle names which hadn't been on the birth certificate. Tim pointed out that Neil's middle name, as romantic as it was to include the name of King Arthur's father, made his initials read as NUL or null. As in null and void. From the little Tim already knew about Henry's father, he thought that fitting.

The following page held the mother's information. Tiffany and Henry were again listed and happily, so was Christina. Henry's twin had an "A" indicating she'd been adopted but there was no adoptive mother listed. It was a relief to know she'd been legally adopted. Tiffany's parents were listed above her name, both deceased. There were no other relatives. Tim took a deep breath, now he knew Tiffany wasn't one of his donor children. It had never entered his mind until Ellie raised the question.

The next page was the paternal page and like Ty and Brynie's, it was a busy page with many names and dates. Henry and Christina were again listed, with Neil Lorenz as their father. And now Tim understood the lack of adoptive mother listed on the maternal page as Christina had two adoptive fathers listed - a same sex couple. He thought back to Ty and Brynie's DNA report but he'd already known that Sue and Deeny were married so he hadn't been looking for anything else.

Neil Lorenz's mother was named Angela Mitchell, born in 1960, 40 when she had Neil. Across from her was what Tim mentally referred to as a 'dotted line' relative, his custodial father, Thaddeus Lorenz, born in 1940, making him 60 when Neil was born and in his 80s now.

Next was the listing Ellie thought might be there, his own name and birthdate. Neil was his donor son, making Henry and Christina his grandchildren. Tim sat back in shock. He'd thought Ellie's idea was just a whim, now here it was staring him in the face.

His new foster son was his grandson. He was a grandfather although he would be father to Henry, not grandfather. Then his eyes opened even wider, Dad was a great-grandfather, Mom a great-grandmother and Grandpa was Henry's two-times great-grandfather, the same for Maisie and Penny. This was all too weird and he was thankful when Ellie took his hand.

"Your hands are freezing, Tim! I'm going to make you some hot tea."

He nodded, still dealing with the shock. Then his logic kicked in. It wasn't so surprising, he'd been 21 when he made the donation and he was 42 now. He knew his sperm had been purchased; Ty and Brynie were proof of that. But he hadn't thought about any other donor children besides them, certainly not older ones. And this guy, NUL, er Neil, was 20 now.

When Ellie brought him the tea, with sugar in it, he drank it and then sat back. The two of them talked for several minutes, finally deciding that Tim having grandchildren wasn't that surprising. The important thing was the family he was raising with Ellie. That got him back on track.

Eventually they noticed that Neil's mother and his custodial father had sisters, both now in their mid-70s.

Tim chuckled at the pages after that as they detailed all the people with whom Henry shared paternal DNA: Jethro, Shannon, Mac, Kelly as well as Tim's children. They both laughed when they saw the list of Gibbs' children and grandchildren. All the Gibbs siblings but Tim and Kelly had an 'a' listed by their name and Tony's father was listed.

When Tim looked again, he sat back in surprise. Next to Rob's name was Ellen Brill, listed as his mother and there was no date of death. Her parents were also listed and to Tim's greater astonishment, there were listings for Rob's paternal side, a Tara Owens Cole and then something strange, a listing with no name although there was a birthdate of July 8th, 1963, with nothing else. The woman, Tara was Rob's aunt, but who was the guy with no name? Strange but then not everyone wanted their name in a system. DNA was fine, as long as the name wasn't listed.

Ty, Brynie, Lia and Mackie were listed under Tim and Ellie, with an "a" next to Lia to indicate adoption and after Sue and Deeny's listings, a dotted line from Ty & Brynie to Eleanor's name with a note that Eleanor was their adopted mother. Ellie beamed at that, happy to know she'd always appear as their mother.

The next pages detailed the rest of Tim's donor children. No names were given, just the gender and birthdate. There was a trio of siblings, a girl aged 11 and twin boys aged 9, and the rest were separate: 3 girls and 2 boys between the ages of 5 and 11, 4 boys aged 12-14, 5 girls aged 12-15 and 2 boys aged 17, 1 girl aged 18 and 1 boy aged 20. He assumed that was Neil.

Tim was a little overwhelmed and yet relieved there weren't more. And he might have felt a little smug at having fathered 25 children, including Ty, Brynie, Mackie and their unborn child. He thought he'd hidden his reaction but his wife knew him too well and laughed.

The next pages displayed the Baxters, the Mallards, Sarah and the twins, the Hubbards, with an "a" for adopted next to Hannah's name. Tim loved that Ducky was listed, that was cool! As Maisie's second husband, he appeared, with a dotted line, below Grandpa Andrew's name.

Cousin Richard Baxter had his own long line, 4 children, 12 grandchildren and 35 great-grandchildren along with his great-nieces and nephews and their children.

Other lines of relatives appeared with names Tim didn't recognize. He remembered that Grammie's mother Iona and her sister Charlotte had brothers and he thought these might be their descendants. Especially as some of their names seemed more 'old country'. Tim didn't think he'd ever met or heard of an American Elspeth, Ailis, Struan, Torquil or Aodh in his life. Of course, he also hadn't met every single person in the U.S; he'd look online later.

The surnames were recognizable but he knew there were millions of descendants of Scottish immigrants in the U.S. There were several Stirlings, a few Achesons, Forneys, Duncans, McKinleys and Clachers among others. When he caught the name Gibbs, he remembered the conversation he, Ellie, Dad and Grandpa had before their wedding about Gibbs being both Scots and English.

Wouldn't that be something if there was a secondary connection between the Gibbses and the Stirlings! If he ever again had spare time, he'd resume the genealogical work he started in the years between marrying Ellie and Lia arriving in the family. He hadn't gone far enough back to find the first Gibbs in America.

The list ran on for many pages. By the time Tim reached the sixth page of the people he assumed were Charlotte and Iona's family, his eyes were glazing over; Ellie had her arms crossed on the table, her head pillowed on them, sound asleep.

Now that they knew for sure, the plan was to begin adoption proceedings in the morning. Belatedly remembering the online forms they'd used for Lia's adoption, Tim pulled up a set and completed it, noting his status as Henry's biological grandfather. When Ellie woke, she reviewed it and they attached their electronic signatures before sending the formal adoption request to the local CPS office.

They had an e-mail from Ms. Clark in the morning, "You two certainly didn't waste any time!"

When he had some time, Tim went looking for his dad, finding him in his workshop looking at plans to make Henry something. "Dad, have a minute?"

"Sure, Timson. How are you doing?"

"Mm, pretty good. Got Henry's DNA results."

One eyebrow rose. "You have a copy?" He knew Tim and Ellie wouldn't have been allowed a copy unless one of them was on the DNA chart.

Tim nodded and his father grinned, "So our boy is a Gibbs!"

"He is but not my son."

"Huh?"

"Dad…ok, it's weird and I'm still getting used to the idea. Henry's my grandson and his scumbag father, the one who abandoned him, is one of my donor offspring. That also means Henry is your great-grandson. Yours and Mom's. And he is Grandpa's two times great-grandson."

His father stared at him, his eyes wide. Tim held back a smile; he didn't remember ever having stumped his father – or Boss – like this.

"Great-grandson…wow! That's…I don't know what. We're not old enough. But obviously we are." He looked at his son, frowning.

Tim shook his head, anticipating the question. "We'll raise him as our son and your grandson. At some point we'll tell him but not until he's old enough to understand."

Dad nodded. "That's good, especially with his place in the family. I imagine it would be confusing to be the nephew of your brothers and sisters." He shook himself a little. "Need some time for this to sink in. How are you really doing?"

"I'm getting there. The DNA chart has all the donor offspring so now I know. You have 25 Timothy-sired grandchildren, including the ones you know and love. Neil Lorenz, Henry's birth father, is the eldest at 20."

When his father tucked his lips in, Tim knew he was trying hide a reaction. "It's okay Dad; I figured I could be smug with you though, right? I tried to hide it from Ellie and she called me out on it."

Jethro let out a bark of a laugh and then pounded his son on the back. "Twenty-five kids? Wow! Wait until I tell your grandfather!" He paused and Tim nodded, "Yeah, I wish Grandpa Jack was here too."

His dad grabbed him in a bear hug. "I'm so proud of you, Timiny! Not for fathering so many children, that didn't take much effort. Although that was a smart thing to do when you thought you'd be sterile. And I'm grateful you made the donation, we would never have known Ty, Brynie or Henry. And you and I might never have discovered our connection. Huh, don't like that."

Tim smiled, "Me neither. We might have if either of us ever needed a transfusion, or Sarah and I decided to run our DNA."

Dad huffed, "Or any of the Hubbards or Cranes deciphered the Gemcity anagram. That at least might have moved things along."

They hugged again and Dad said, "I'm proud of the way you handle things, son. Your life has been difficult but you don't let it affect how you live from day to day."

Tim buried his face in his dad's shoulder. "I'm not alone, Dad. Truth is, the only time I've really been alone and unloved was in that medical transport between the maternity clinic and Bethesda. After that, I had Lily and Dan, then Patrick, Sarah and even if I don't remember, Grammie, Penny, Uncle Jim, the Cranes and my grandfathers. Later, I had the siblings, the guys, Lu, Nate and Juanita. And then you and the others."

He was still holding on when his phone beeped at him. Frowning, he pulled back and Jethro watched as Tim's eyes widened. "Dad, according to Abby's friend, remember the guy from NASA?" His father nodded and Tim continued, "He says the atmosphere over Virginia is finally clear enough today to see details. Do you want to get Mom and look for the house?"

Jethro started to shake his head and then thought of the information he'd written on the basement wall. He would like to know if that survived. He nodded instead, "Yeah, should we go to the big house or your place?"

"Let's go to our place and then Ellie, Ty and Brynie can see too."

"What if there's nothing left, just rubble?"

"Then they'll know. They're old enough to see, Dad. They already know our homes were blown up."

After sending Shannon a text, they started walking and laughed when she came up behind them in their second ATV. This one was a four-seater with room for cargo at the very back.

Having also received a text, Ellie had Tim's laptop booted up and linked to their TV screen where any images would be easier to see. Hearing the ATV, the two older kids came in from the backyard. The group gathered around the TV while Tim input the coordinates of the house and they waited, Jethro and Shannon holding hands.

What they saw caused the adults to cheer and the kids to frown in sorrow. Ty and Brynie hoped the house had survived, like Grandpa's beach house. The adults knew better than to hope for that so close to Ground Zero but they were thrilled to find the basement survived. The main level and 2nd floor of the house were gone and there were piles of rubble everywhere. The basement stood open to the elements but it stood. It was a mess. There was no sign of the stairs and chunks of concrete were gone from the walls. There were piles of debris covering the floor. They saw part of a sink they knew wasn't theirs and a lot of rubble.

Once they had their bearings, Tim zoomed in on the wall where Dad had written the family names and dates. Then they all cheered as everything was still there. Tim took photos and sent them to the rest of the family, using the address of the house as the subject of the e-mail.

There was only one other discernible feature in the rest of the neighborhood. A cinder block wall their neighbor Reg Walsh's wife had always hated was the only other feature that hadn't been blown up. Nothing else could be distinguished, just a mass of rubble and debris. The kids were disappointed their house was gone and pointed to where they thought it should be. Tim spotted what he thought might be a piece of brightly painted drywall from the basement playroom, an area of the wall the kids had painted, drawn or colored on, but he didn't say anything.

Encouraged by his wife and father, Tim entered the coordinates for the Navy Yard and they sat back in grief. The Yard, nearly at the center of the strike zone, was gone; it looked like a moonscape complete with craters. Then Tyler, with his young, sharp eyes, spotted a tiny bit of debris. Changing places with his father, Ty worked the keyboard to zoom in on it and then sat proudly as his parents and grandparents laughed. Nearly covered by the debris Ty spotted was a jagged, still standing, piece of an orange wall. Later Jimmy and Ducky would look, eventually finding the concrete wall where they too had written names and dates.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

Busy as always with their family and work, neither Tim nor Ellie spared a thought for what might be happening with Neil and Tiffany's registered letters. Tim was amazed to receive a call from Ms. Clark one day, apparently those two weeks had whizzed by without notice. Ellie was on her way to his office with their lunches, they were going to eat on the rooftop deck, spend some time together. Instead, they put the call on speaker.

"We have an unusual situation with Henry's adoption. We've had word from each of his parents, Tiffany and Neil, that they're refusing custody. And there's been no word from Neil's mother or custodial father. You two are the ones qualified who have applied for adoption and I'm pleased to say your application has been accepted, pending the inspections and interviews. It'll take time, we'll inspect your new home and your childcare plans. Also, I noticed both of you have changed positions in the agency and we'll need to discuss those; interview your supervisors."

Tim chuckled and when she asked what was funny he replied, "I report to the Secretary of the Navy."

"Oh! Nevertheless, we'll still have to do the interview." She paused, "There is one thing. This won't be an obstacle to your adoption but you should know that Neil's aunts asked if they could adopt Henry together."

Ellie smiled, "That makes me feel a little better about the Lorenz family. We'll think about keeping in touch with them."

"Wonderful! That's not something we'd handle but I'm glad you'll at least consider it!"

"Will you let them know about us or how would that work?"

"I'll send a reply telling them that someone else has applied to adopt Henry and their - your - request has been approved pending the outcome of our review process."

"Will you tell them about us, about our family?"

"Not allowed to do that, privacy laws. However, if you decide you'd like to keep in touch with them, let me know and I'll send them a request to share their contact information."

"Did they receive a copy…never mind, Neil has a copy of the DNA results, he can share."

Ms. Clark smiled, "I know I teased about planting trees, but you're the only ones that got the full report. Tiffany and Neil only received the pages with their information. That does mean Neil has your names but nothing beyond that first paternal page. However, if either of them asks I will have to provide the whole report to them."

After setting an appointment for CPS to inspect their home, they disconnected. Tim and Ellie sent e-mails to their respective superiors to let them know they were in the process of adopting and to expect a call from someone with Child Protection Services. They still had twenty minutes of their lunch break and followed their original plan to eat in the rooftop garden. They sat in the shade while they ate, talking about their family.

Tim was a little concerned and confused that Ellie didn't seem to mind that he was Henry's grandfather. When asked, Ellie nodded with a smile. "He's yours but he had no relationship with his birth parents other than the fact that someone must have fed and clothed him during his first 3 months. Maybe that was Neil's aunts. And while the nuns at the orphanage loved and cared for him, they weren't his mothers, not in my head. So I'm his first mother, the first one he called Mama."

Tim was glad to hear that she felt she was Henry's first mama, he knew that meant a lot to her. They both loved the child and that was enough.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

Jethro later thought this was one of his favorite summers. They were free, he and his beloved had a wonderful week in the mountains with a big part of their family, his children were happy, his grandchildren brought him more joy than he thought possible, everyone was healthy and just about everyone he loved and cared about was nearby.

When Ziva, now Ana, suddenly and literally landed back in their lives, he mentally added another check mark to those he loved being close. It was a great relief to give up the undercurrent of worry about his stray lamb.

His children amused and touched him as they started folding Ana into the clan. Not surprisingly, Tim and Ellie were first, actually – Jethro corrected himself, Breena was the first, having had the advantage of knowing her years ago and being on the tarmac as the Bacia passengers emerged. She'd made sure she was welcome, that she understood the basics of the family. While he'd hugged and cried, their practical Breena helped provide balance.

Sarah greeted her with warmth as did the others but Ana seemed to feel the most comfortable with Tim and Ellie. He guessed that made sense, Tim was her teammate and friend, there was never anything else between them. He'd also been the first one to welcome her when she originally joined the team and she probably hadn't forgotten that. He was very happy when Ana was invited to lunch with them.

He was just as happy and maybe the tiniest bit relieved when the DiNozzos invited her to brunch. That was easier with the kids although he and Shannon would have been happy to watch them. Then he shook his head, no, it was better to have the kids with them. For one thing, Ziv…Ana would see how much Tony had grown and for another if there was any awkwardness, they had the kids to fall back on. Then he laughed aloud, why should he be concerned when Maggie would be there? Like Breena, she was a very practical woman. She knew Tony loved her with all his heart and he knew she loved him with all of hers.

They all should have known better. The afternoon before the brunch, the MCRT was called out to a double homicide, 2 dead Marines in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Although that was Seattle's jurisdiction, their teams were swamped chasing down a trio of serial killers targeting U.S. Navy personnel.

Within two hours, Tony's team was on their way, catching a commercial flight to Vancouver. Jimmy went home for a break and was back in the office in time to examine the bodies at the crime scene. There were a few jurisdictional issues; a detective team from the Vancouver P.D. was on the scene, along with their coroner, Dr. Betty Rogers. As it happened, she was an old friend of Ducky's and had met Dr. Palmer a few times. She took on the role as Jimmy's eyes and ears at the crime scene and during the autopsy. Her acceptance of an NCIS medical examiner helped resolve the jurisdictional issues and the two law enforcement teams worked the case together.

In the meantime, Maggie told Ana there was no reason not to stick with their plans and Ana thought it might actually be easier without Tony there. Maggie would drive them into town. When she picked Ana up, she was by herself, surprising the other woman.

Maggie smiled, "Thought we could have a grown-up brunch. My dad's watching the baby with Liz, Maisie and Penny hovering nearby and Arin is at the Gibbses, playing with the littles. He's a few months older than Lia and Henry, nearly 10 months older than Ricky Palmer but he doesn't seem to care and he's around kids his own age at pre-school all week. Tim and Ellie want Henry to get to know all the kids."

"They're watching 7 young children and their older ones?"

Maggie laughed, "No, no. Breena and the rest of her kids are there too, they're in the play area in the middle of the cul-de-sac. Ainsley…sorry, I'm throwing names at you! Sarah's teenage cousins Ainsley and Cal are watching the four older kids and their younger sister who is Ty and Victoria's age; they're riding bikes around the cul-de-sac. The three families moved in about six weeks ago but this is the first time they've really been able to spend any time in their new neighborhood." She smiled at Ana, "I can't wait for our new house to be ready! To be settled permanently!"

Ana smiled, "I know the feeling! Have I met your father? Let me see, I met Grandpa, he is Tim and Kelly's grandfather, yes?"

"Yes, although we all call him Grandpa."

"Of course, Breena told me about that. Oh, I did meet your father; he is Colonel Barnes, a retired Marine!"

Maggie beamed, "I don't know how you remembered that with all of us! I get confused and I've been part of the family for four years!"

Ana laughed, "But I have the advantage of knowing everyone who used to work with us at NCIS, so I have a good base to start from. Gibbs - that is Jethro and then Tony, Tim, Ducky, Jimmy, Abby and Leon. I met Breena; we all met her when she and Jimmy started dating. They were married the year before I left. We met Sarah on a case and she and I were friends, although I had no idea there were two additional siblings. I met Rob and Geordie when I arrived." Ana continued, "We learned about the deaths of Shannon and Kelly years ago when Gibbs was injured in an explosion. And Mike Franks, of course."

She sighed and Maggie remembered the boys giggling at the idea of Franks as an angel. Telling Ana the story, she was rewarded with astounded laughter. "Oh yes, that's funny! He'd likely set his angel wings and cloud on fire with his cigar." She paused, "We were shattered when we lost him, when he died. We were terrified we'd lose Gibbs too, that he'd walk off the job. But Mike's killer took Jimmy as one of his hostages and that was the end of that worry."

"Did you know Kate?"

"I met her, I didn't know her."

"Oh. Tony said something odd when we were talking about the angels and I haven't asked him or Tim about it. He said that Kate would be in charge of the angels, calling them all morons."

Ana tilted her head back and forth. "I believe Kate had a difficult time working with the men. This is what I know from Abby and other sources. She and Tony fought constantly. He teased and she bit back, hard. And neither was kind to Mc…Tim. I wasn't either. Tony bullied him and I went right along with him."

Maggie nodded, "Tony's told me. At some point, he remembered he'd been bullied and that changed things. He and Tim have worked hard on their relationship and became best friends. Did you know Tony finally let Gibbs adopt him?"

Ana nodded, "Yes, that was another surprise, although not as big a shock as the news that Tim is Gibbs' son!"

Maggie chuckled, "I missed all that. When I transferred aboard the Navy Yard, Jethro, Tim, Ty and Brynie were here in Albuquerque."

Ana smiled, "In WITSEC, yes Tim told me the story the day I had lunch with them. Tyler didn't realize he shouldn't talk about the bad lady with the mean eyes."

"That's right, Ellie told me. They were relieved it was you Ty spoke to. That's a lesson for all of us, kids remember things longer than we think they will and understand more than we believe they do. Tyler heard about the case the day they arrested Stacevyko. He was 3 ½ and laying down in a playroom they have set up at the Marshals' office. One of the marshals came in and told the marshal who was watching the kids all about Stacevyko and how much she'd hurt Tim. He thought Ty was asleep but he wasn't and the poor kid was terrified until he saw Tim and Jethro. The night Tony's team stayed over at the Gibbses, here, Tyler had a bad nightmare and Tim ended up sleeping with him."

"Oops! Tim told me a little about Stacevyko but not much."

"She was an accessory in his kidnapping as a newborn; she later murdered his adoptive father, Commander McGee, and his little brother, Patrick, before abandoning Tim and Sarah. While they were staying in a homeless shelter she found out they were still alive and paid someone to kill them." She told Ana the story, which made Ziva's heart hurt even more for her friend.

There was silence when Maggie finished and then Ana said, "I've wondered since I left – you know how you look back and see things differently?" Maggie nodded and Ana continued, "I've always wondered if Timothy McGee is not the strongest of all of us."

Maggie smiled, "He would have had to be! Now, here we are. I haven't been here before but I'm told they make wonderful mimosas. And I'm sure the food's good too."

They laughed together as they walked into the restaurant. Over their mimosas and delicious brunch, they stuck to personal topics, things that wouldn't matter if they were overheard. They spent the meal laughing a great deal; swapping stories of their early years and of course, whichever of their NCIS cases that were not classified.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

After Ana and Maggie left, Jethro and Shannon decided to visit Tim and his family. They knew they planned to let the kids play in the cul-de-sac and playground for the first time today but they didn't know how the kids had been organized or what they were doing.

Driving the ATV over, they stopped as soon as they saw the five older kids in the street. Ty, Hannah and Teddy were riding their bikes while Brynie and Victoria were roller-skating. Ainsley and Callum spotted them, blowing whistles to pull the kids off the street. Jethro was impressed, that was a great idea.

They moved forward slowly, parking in Tim's driveway. Surprised to see Sarah's car, they realized that made sense as Bob was in Canada with Tony. Now they could see several toddlers in the play area with Tim, Ellie, Sarah, Breena, Ducky and Jim. And then they saw the double stroller with their twin grandbabies. Jethro smiled, he loved seeing them all play together like this – both his grandbabies and his kids. Geordie and Bec were missing from the group; they were in Taos for the weekend, taking little Alex with them. The 'townies' were likely working or planning their wedding.

When they asked, Jim and Ducky laughed, saying that Penny, Claire, Maisie and Liz were 'helping' Richard with little Juliet, meaning they were on the DiNozzos' front porch playing cards and drinking iced tea while the baby slept. When she was awake, they'd move inside to feed and play with her.

Jethro stayed with Tim helping push toddlers and little Mackie in the baby swings and taking them down slides. It brought back many memories of the two of them playing with Ty and Brynie when they were little.

Tim looked at him, "This time I'm reading your mind. Been thinking about that too, how quickly Ty and Brynie grew up. Once they hit kindergarten, seems like everything goes into super drive."

Dad ruffled his hair, "If your mom and I'd raised you, I'd be thinking the same thing about you."

Tim chuckled, "Sounds strange because we were all adults but having Ana here makes me feel like the Probie again. And I didn't think I was all that young!" He snorted, "Of course, I thought you and Tony were old."

His father started to raise his hand, grinning and then paused to think before agreeing, "Yeah, I think I know what you're saying. You don't feel old now, at least I don't, and you, Tony and I have grown together to the ages we are now. Now our girl is back and we're reminded we're not as young as we were that first day we found her sitting at Kate's desk."

Tim pointed out that Ana was in the same boat. Jethro shook his head, "No, son, not really. Yes, 7 years have passed, although it seems longer than that. That's because the three of us have had several life changing experiences in those years. Some of them we've shared between us, not just from work, as was the case when she was on the team, but life experiences. As I said, life-changing, wonderful things for each of us, and the three of us together. Tony was with us when you brought Ty and Brynie home. We saw the change in him as he fell in love with the kids. That changed him, Tim. And the two of us being taken by the marshals changed him too. He'd always been second in command and he stepped up, personally as well as professionally. As for Ana, we don't know what she's done with her life, we'll probably never know."

Tim nodded, "That about sums it up. She wants to stay, find work and live on the ranch with us."

"Yeah. Sounds good."

"Dad?" His father's tone of voice was less than convincing.

"Timothy, we've gone through this with her before. She thinks she wants to be with family and we're her family. Then either something will happen or she'll get restless and start reverting to her Mossad ways. If we're lucky, at that point she'll leave before there's real trouble."

Tim exhaled a big rush of air, "So it's okay to feel that way? Because I do and Ellie and Maggie do too. Besides what Tony and I have told them, both of them have heard things around the office over the years. We need to tell her, Dad, make sure she understands that our children come first. We can't bail her out of Somalia or play hide and seek chasing down someone for her. Our priorities have changed. Sad to say, I worry about her living here. I hope the identity change will help but she is or was a magnet for trouble. On the other hand, I love her like a sister and we're here, standing, breathing and alive because of her. Everyone who survived is alive due to her, all 40 million of us. And that has to be worth something, a big huge something."

His father nodded, "I know Ducky also has concerns. I'll talk with him; hope we can come up with some way to tell her without pushing her away."

Tim nodded and they turned the conversation to happier topics. When Dad's phone rang, he frowned, "That's Maggie…" He answered, "Hi, Maggie how was your brunch?"

"Great, we had a wonderful time. And I had an idea. Are you still looking for someone to do some kick-ass physical training at FLETC?"

"Yes, I am. Want to combine MMA with the style of fighting the Corps teaches and with street brawling."

"Ana can do all that."

Dad thought about it, "You're right, she'd be great; maybe she could do all the FLETCs, not just New Mexico and Georgia. Did you mention it to her?"

"No, thought I'd better check with you first. Is the position posted or is it unofficial?"

"Up to me to post it," He chuckled, "She'd report to me. I'll get it written up, have it approved and then we can let her know. Thanks, Captain, this is a great idea!"

Disconnecting, he told Tim Maggie's idea and smiled at his son's grin. "That would be perfect for her, Dad, and she can stay here in between FLETC sessions. So she'd have a home to come back to."

Jethro stood in thought, "Before the threat and attack, we'd planned to roll out the enhanced training to 2 more locations. If we go ahead with that, it'll be 6 FLETC locations, 36 weeks. That's not so bad. I'm only handling New Mexico but Leon wants me to manage the other trainers. She'd report directly to me for New Mexico but to the other trainers at the other locations."

"A steady paycheck."

"Yes, as long as she stays out of trouble."

Tim nodded and then smiled as his father took his cell phone from his pocket and stared at it for a half minute. Then shrugging, he hit a button; Tim thought he was probably calling Leon to run it by him. He was smiling when he disconnected. "He raised the same concerns we did and thinks FLETC is a great opportunity for her. He's waiting for approval on the budget for the two additional locations but doesn't anticipate any problems. He says she'll have to apply to Homeland and take her chances like everyone else."

"Will they be told her previous identity?"

"The change was her decision, not mandated by anyone, so it's up to her." Dad snorted, "If they figure it out, they may hire her. She'd do good work for them. And maybe without Eli breathing down her neck, the problems won't crop up."

Tim shook his head, "Leon won't hire her."

"No, this will be Homeland for FLETC or whatever else they have in mind."

"Homeland pays you?"

His father shook his head, "No, they pay NCIS and NCIS pays me. My request."

"Good!"

Eventually, Maggie with baby Juliet, Ana and the others wandered over to the cul-de-sac, sitting in the shade of a huge oak tree that anchored the center. When Jethro casually mentioned the additional training at FLETC, Ana was interested and asked several questions. Finally, her former boss asked her to think about applying to work with him and the other trainers. After explaining how it worked, she nodded, clearly deep in thought.

Ana applied for the job and underwent intense scrutiny by Homeland. In the meantime, she settled into her room at the house, the Palmers' old room. Within days of her arrival, she was shopping for cowgirl boots and Ty, Brynie, Teddy and Victoria began teaching her how to line dance. She was in the shelter late one afternoon, practicing her dancing with the kids when Bill came in. While he was still working for Steve, they had a job up in Santa Fe and he was staying up there during the week. He'd briefly met Ana but hadn't spent any time with her.

When he walked in and saw the 'new girl' dancing with the kids, he leaned against the wall, watching her. Victoria spotted him and called out, "Mr. Bill, come dance with us. We're not tall enough to dance properly with Ana."

He had his work boots on, but they'd do for now. Walking forward, he tipped his hat to her, grinning, "Hello, I'm Bill Colter. I know we've met a couple of times but there are a lot of people around here."

She smiled as she took his hand, "You're right about that! I'm Ana Campo and I'd love to dance!"

Smiling, the kids restarted the music and then stood back and watched as Ana followed Bill's lead. When Tim and Jimmy came in to get the kids for dinner, they found them still watching as Bill and Ana danced. They interrupted long enough to invite them for dinner but Bill shook his head, "Thanks anyway but Ana and I are headed into town to dance to live music."

Ana smiled, nodding her thanks to her brothers, who managed to walk outside with the kids before they looked at each other, eyes wide. When Ty, Brynie and at the Palmers, Victoria and Teddy reported that they'd taught Ana how to line dance and Mr. Bill was taking her out to dance to live music, their mothers stared at them and then at their husbands who were both grinning and proclaiming their innocence.

Several days later Abby arrived for a week's vacation. She again stayed in Kelly's room and quickly caught up with all the news and happenings since her last visit. She toured the latest new homes, the Chalmers', DiNozzos' and Cranes' and loved the additions to the center circle.

The new pool and the surrounding 12-foot fence were complete and she thoroughly enjoyed swimming every day. Surprising even herself, she had a great time playing mermaid, doing handstands and walking underwater with the kids. Ana was just learning and they all had fun teaching her. Lia, Henry and Mackie were too little but had plenty of fun playing with each other and their adults in the toddler pool. When Uncle Tobias stepped into that pool to cool his feet, he was teased by Ty and Brynie who still remembered his frozen feet on their first trip to Ruidoso. Jethro played with his grandkids and Abby remarked to Ana that he hadn't stopped smiling since she'd arrived. Jethro heard them and nodded to himself. She was right; he hadn't stopped smiling.

Saturday afternoon, they dried off and gathered under the canopies for a barbecue, one with the extended family, to welcome Ana and Abby. As they sat at the elongated table, Tobias caught Jethro's eye and smiled, he understood. So did Ducky and Mac. And certainly, Tim, who like his father, hadn't stopped smiling in days. Their interviews and inspections for Henry's adoption had gone well and now it was just a matter of time before Henry would legally become Henry Baxter Gibbs. In the weeks he'd been with his new family, Henry had grown half an inch, gained a little weight, filled out a bit and Poppy thought he was beginning to look like Jackson while Henry's daddy thought he looked like Poppy.

Now Jethro nodded to Tim; it was his turn to say grace. Smiling, Tim took Ty and Ellie's hands, looking around the table, at Tony, Sarah, Kelly, Rob, Geo, his beloved wife, their children, his mother, grandfather, grandmothers, godparents, aunt, uncle, cousins, nieces, nephews, in-laws, Ducky, Jimmy, Breena, Ana, Abby and friends. Lastly, he turned to his father, his heart as full as Jethro's. Together, all of them were together. There wasn't anything better.

The End

Notes:

1) The show "Motive" which aired in Canada and the U.S. (when I could find it) was set in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and the actress who played the coroner, Dr. Betty Rogers, was none other than Lauren Holly, aka Jenny Shepard. I got a kick out of her playing a coroner and always wondered if she'd discussed their mutual roles with David McCallum, aka Ducky. I don't know if they're still making new episodes but it ran for a few years. Alix33 pointed out that Sasha Alexander (NCIS's Kate Todd) also played a medical examiner, on "Rizzoli and Isles", which ran for several years. It's fun to think of the three actors consulting each other about their fictional mutual occupations!

2) Stay tuned for more stories although not in this universe. Up next will be a couple of stories I've mentioned to a few people, in the At What Price universe...where Tim's AU early life started. Posting will likely start in the next week or two.