Author's Note: This story's winding down. Only another chapter or two after this one. I'm going to try to leave it open enough I can possibly do a sequel at some point but still wrap up all the loose ends so I don't leave you guys hanging.

Chapter Sixteen: Reality Check

Blake woke when added weight to his chest made it difficult to breathe but didn't open his eyes until the weight was multiplied. He found two little bodies sitting on top of him, watching him. "Mornin', guys," he said around a yawn.

"Hi Bwake," LJ said with a bright smile.

"Are you seepin'?" Mason asked.

"Not anymore," Blake answered with a chuckle.

Footsteps in the hallway put an abrupt end to their conversation. The boys dove under the blankets with Blake and stayed as still as they could.

"What're you two doing?" Blake asked, lifting the covers so he could see them.

"Shh," LJ said.

"Is baff time," Mason explained.

Gibbs heard the voices and poked his head in the room. He smiled when he saw two wiggling little bodies on either side of their guest. "I don't suppose you've seen Mason and LJ this morning," he said.

"I don't know where they could be," Blake answered with a grin.

"Alright, I guess that means there's more chocolate chip pancakes for the rest of us," Gibbs said.

LJ popped out first and both Gibbs and Blake pretended to be surprised.

"Where did you come from?" Blake asked.

LJ looked back and forth between his daddy and Blake and giggled. "I wan cake."

"Bath time first," Gibbs said, watching Mason slither towards the foot of the bed.

"Otay," LJ agreed.

Mason scooted himself down onto the floor and tried to crawl by his daddy unnoticed but was quickly scooped up.

"Look who I found," Gibbs said while Mason squealed.

"Well I'll be," Blake said. "I wonder where he coulda come from."

"Did they get you up?" Gibbs asked.

"They're fine," Blake replied. "I'm usually up by now anyways."

"Guys, from now on I want you to wait until Blake gets up to say good morning," Gibbs said.

"We sowry," Mason said.

"We still love you guys," Gibbs said, kissing both boys. "Blake, my dad's making pancakes if you're interested and there's coffee out there as well. I'll be down after I get these two bathed."

Sadie watched the milk in her sippy cup turn from white to pink as Grandpa shook it. She licked her lips and reached her hand out, anxious for a drink.

"Here you go, sweet pea," Jack said, bending to kiss her forehead as he handed her the cup. "Why don't you have a seat at the table? I'll have some pancakes ready for you in a minute."

"Tank you," Sadie said.

"You're welcome, baby."

"Mornin'," Blake greeted.

"Good morning," Jack said. "There's some coffee in the pot and I've got pancakes going if you're interested. I can put chocolate chips in 'em, blueberries, strawberries or leave 'em plain."

"Blueberries sound good if it's not too much trouble," Blake said. "Thank you."

"It's no trouble at all," Jack said.

"Can I help with anything?" Blake asked.

"I think I've got it covered," Jack said. "The newspaper's on the table if you're interested."

"I don't read the paper," Blake said. "I can't handle that much depressing news."

"I understand that," Jack said. "Leroy said you're a rancher?"

"Yeah but not really a professional rancher. I've got a few animals and a pretty big garden. I sell at the local farmer's market during the summer, trade produce for favors, help those out who don't have enough whenever I can. It's more of a hobby than anything."

"I see," Jack said. "So, do you work or…"

"I got a fairly large settlement from the family of the girl who killed my wife," Blake said quietly. "I wouldn't have sued had the state done something to punish her but I guess when your family's loaded and your father's connected the laws don't apply to you."

"I'm sorry, Blake," Jack said. "Our family's known loss too and it doesn't make it any easier when the justice system lets you down. It sounds like you've turned bad into good though and that's something to be proud of."

Blake nodded even though he didn't feel proud. He felt devastated.

"You look troubled," Jack said.

"I just thought I was over all these feelings, that's all." Blake didn't know if being around the triplets that was renewing his desire to have a bunch of children or seeing the support system Gibbs had to help him get through his devastating loss or just being around warm, loving, genuinely caring people that reminded him of his late wife but he suddenly found himself flooded with emotions he didn't think he'd have to deal with again.

"You don't get over feelings like that," Jack said. "They creep up on you when you least expect it."

"Yeah."

Blake helped Sadie cut up her pancakes while he and Jack shared stories of small town life. Gibbs brought the boys down after their baths and he and Blake made sure the kids were fed then they ate their breakfast while the kids played. After breakfast was cleaned up, the guys refilled their coffee and settled in the living room with the kids.

"Would you like to do any sightseeing while you're here or do you prefer to hang around the house, Blake?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm fine with whatever," Blake answered. "I'm not the type that needs to be on the go all the time to be happy."

"What do you have planned for today, Leroy?" Jack asked.

"McGee's coming into town later," Gibbs said. "I wanna check in with him and Sadie's been wantin' a new dress for spring."

"Maybe Blake would like to join the boys and I in the backyard for some t-ball while you two do that," Jack said.

"I would love to."

Tim wanted to scream after spending the last twenty four hours with what had to be the most annoying woman on the face of the earth and as if that hadn't been bad enough, he'd also been stuck with the most annoying FBI agent at Quantico. Never again would he complain about Tony's yabba yabba. Tony was witty, smart and humorous. Sacks was nasally, whiny and complained about literally everything. That was why when Sacks offered him a ride home, he'd quickly declined. A taxi was going to cost him a fortune but it would be worth every penny.

He stepped out into the warming spring air and paused to listen to the melodic rhythm the birds were chirping and the peaceful rustling of the leaves. He opened his eyes when he heard a car pull up in front of him and smiled when he saw Gibbs in the driver seat.

"Hop in, Tim," Gibbs said through the open passenger window.

"Thank you, Boss!" Tim said as he climbed in. "Boy am I happy to see you."

"Long trip back?" Gibbs asked with a knowing smile. He knew Tony didn't complain about Sacks just to complain and he could only guess what Lisa had put his youngest agent through.

"That's the understatement of the year," Tim said before turning around in his seat. "Hi, Sadie."

"Hi," Sadie said with a shy wave.

"We're going dress shopping but we thought we'd give you a lift first," Gibbs explained.

"I really appreciate it. You just saved me a small fortune on cab fare."

"So, how was she?" Gibbs was carefully avoiding Lisa's name with his daughter in the backseat.

"She was a wreck," Tim answered. "One minute she was calling me every name she could come up with and the next she was sobbing into my shoulder and begging for her life. As tempting as it was, it's not like I was gonna shoot her. I don't know if she was just putting on a show or what but even I feel emotionally unstable after all that."

"I'm glad you're back," Gibbs said, "and I appreciate all your help."

"Any time, Boss."

After dropping Tim off at his apartment, Gibbs took his little girl to Sears so she could pick out a dress like the one the little girl at the park had been wearing. Sadie had been talking about the dress nonstop ever since. Gibbs had no idea where the other child had gotten her dress but he hoped he could find something that would make his daughter happy.

Sadie let her daddy do most of the shopping and just shook her head at each dress he showed her. She pointed at a few but shook her head again when she realized it wasn't what she wanted. Gibbs was about ready to give up when he saw his little girl mesmerized by one of the mannequins.

"Do you like the dress she's wearing?" he asked.

Sadie nodded, still not taking her eyes off the pink, orange and yellow flowered sundress.

"Let's see if they have one in your size," Gibbs said, taking her hand and leading her over to the rack where the dresses were hanging. He offered up a silent prayer as he started shuffling through the dresses and was relieved when he found one in his daughter's size. He could only hope all shopping trips didn't take nearly an hour to find a single dress but the find offered enough relief he was willing to take a chance. "How about we look for some shoes to go with your new dress?"

Sadie's face lit up as she hugged her new dress to her chest. "Yeah," she answered with a bright smile.

It didn't take anywhere near as long to find a pair of white, flowered sandals to compliment the dress and the closed toed design would allow Sadie to be able to play comfortably in them, wear them on walks or just around the house if she chose to. All in all, the trip was more than worth it, just to see the excitement on his daughters face when the cashier handed her the bag.

"I generally like to consult with the victim before offering plea deals," Prosecutor Logan Ulrich said.

Gibbs cringed at the term victim. "What kind of plea deal?" he asked.

"Abduction and kidnapping by a parent is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia. However, since she took the child out of the Commonwealth it moves up to a Class 6 felony which is punishable by a one to five year imprisonment and up to a $2,500 fine. Child abandonment is also a Class 6 felony but the judge would most likely let her serve those terms concurrently. That makes her maximum punishment ten years and this is not my first case like this. I'm guessing with the overcrowding in the jails she'll end up getting somewhere between five and seven years and be out in less time than that with good behavior."

"What are you proposing?" Gibbs asked.

"After reading all the reports surrounding this situation, I'd like to offer her six years in a secure mental hospital," Ulrich said. "I think it's a fair deal for both parties. It's less than the maximum punishment she could receive if this goes to trial but a mental hospital would allow her to get the help she needs so she won't be a danger to you and your children when she gets out. Would you be satisfied with that plea deal?"

Gibbs shook his head as he thought it over. Sometimes he really hated the law and this was one of those times. The kids would only be eight years old when she got out if this deal went through. He wished he could have her locked up until the kids turned eighteen but he knew he could get a restraining order when she got out if things didn't get better. Maybe a little help was all she needed to get her head on straight again.

"If you think that's the best way to go then let's do it," Gibbs said.

"Alright. I'll write it up and present it to her lawyer first thing in the morning. I'll put a time limit on the deal and let you know what she says."

"Thank you," Gibbs said.

"Six years?" Jack asked in disgust.

"The law's screwy, Dad," Gibbs said, even though he was just as disgusted as his father. "And because she's their mother, it goes a little easier on her."

"Any chance the mental hospital will be able to help her?" Blake asked. "You did say she hasn't always been like this."

"I don't know," Gibbs replied. "If they can help her, it'll just lead to more drama. She'll try to get custody of the kids. If they can't help her we're gonna have to deal with stalking and constantly looking over our shoulders. This is gonna be a never ending thing."

"They shoulda shot her when they had the chance," Jack said.

"Can you move?" Blake asked.

"I'd have to check with my lawyer but I think I could," Gibbs said. "Her parental rights were terminated when she abandoned the kids. The thing is the crazy ones always find you and I don't want the kids to live a life on the run. I also don't want them having to look over their shoulders all the time. Damn it!"

Jack reached over and squeezed his son's shoulder. Things were getting really complicated, really fast. The likelihood of Lisa deciding to just leave them alone was slim to none which meant they had to prepare for whatever she might do and somehow find a way to give the kids a normal, happy childhood.

"Daddy?"

Gibbs looked at the door and smiled when he saw LJ. "Come here, buddy," he said. "What're you doing outta bed?"

LJ shrugged as he settled in his daddy's lap. "Are you're mad?"

"Nope. We're just talking about some adult stuff."

LJ stretched his leg out as far as he could and rested it against Blake's leg. Blake gave his foot a loving squeeze and smiled at him. After LJ said goodnight to everyone again and got more kisses, Gibbs took him back upstairs to lay him down while Blake and Jack stayed downstairs and continued to talk.

"I've been thinking on something for awhile, Jack," Blake said. "Mind if I run it by you?"

"Sure," Jack said. "What's up?"