Leaning against the doorway separating the family room and kitchen, Gibbs watched Tim play with one of the new educational toys he'd picked up the other day. It had been a few days since he'd discovered Tim's brain had been wiped of knowledge, although the youngster still appeared to remember the people in his life. Ducky had reconfirmed his suspicions after an examination and series of questions, many of which Tim would respond to by giving a blank stare. No one knew why the drug affected Tim differently than it had Grey's previous victims; perhaps it was the fact he was given a double dose or subconsciously he wanted a chance to grow up knowing what it would be like to have a loving and doting father.

Gibbs was scheduled to return to work tomorrow; adamant that Tim have a safe place to stay while he was working, he convinced Vance to allocate enough money to construct a daycare aboard the Yard. By using previously existing spaces, they were able to set it up fairly quickly. Following a new paint job, carpeting and other furnishings it was ready for its grand opening. Other agents were allowed to bring their children for a fraction of the cost of what they would pay at a regular daycare. After conducting thorough interviews, which Tony joked were more like interrogations along with background checks and the candidates overall experience, Gibbs and Vance made the final decisions.

Because of the intermittent hours of the agency, there was always someone scheduled for evening, weekend and overnight shifts as well as during the day. Gibbs was relieved because he knew Tim would be in a safe place and could visit him throughout the day. He wasn't the only parent who was happy with the new arrangements. The workers had been abuzz with the reality of a daycare aboard the Yard, a perk they had been asking about for quite some time.

Taking a swig of beer, he returned to the kitchen to check on the lasagna baking in the oven. Since Tim's transformation, the team had been meeting for Sunday dinner at Gibbs' house. Each of them would bring a side dish and Gibbs was happy to show off his new cooking skills that had been improving over the last three weeks. With a toddler in the house, he needed to make sure Tim had three meals a day whereas when it was only him, he would normally stop and get take out or allow coffee to sustain him. Times were changing; he'd barely worked on his boat and if he did, it was normally after Tim went to bed. Now he was content with watching movies, building castles and reading books with his little boy. He was happy to be a dad again and nothing or nobody was going to take his little boy away from him.

As he put the garlic bread in the oven there was a knock on the door. Walking into the family room he gathered Tim in his arms and headed to the door.

"Toey?" Tim mumbled around the thumb in his mouth.

Gibbs chuckled; Tony and Tim had become closer since Tim's return to childhood. It warmed his heart to see his two boys together and the unbreakable bond they had created. Tim had even let Tony change his diaper on the occasions when Gibbs had been too busy. The first few times, supervised by Gibbs, had definitely been a learning experience, but now it was second nature for the man who was once frightened of children. Gibbs patted his back and adjusted him in his arms, "I don't know, sweetie. Tony is supposed to be here tonight, but we'll have to see if this is him or not."

Tim lay his head down on Gibbs' shoulder as the older man unlocked the door and opened it.

"Timmy!" Abby squealed throwing her arms around the pair.

Although Tim was more comfortable around Abby, he was still hesitant when she became too excited. Feeling his boy tense up and snuggle closer, Gibbs took a step back and motioned with his hand for her to settle down.

"Sorry," she whispered, removing her coat and hat and continuing, "I just love being around this little cutie."

Ducky was a few steps behind and entered with his hands full. "Abigail, if you don't mind taking these?" He asked, handing over the bags before shedding his hat, coat and gloves. "It's mighty chilly out there tonight. I'm certainly ready for spring time!"

"It's only the beginning of November, Duck. Unfortunately we have a long ways to go."

"That we do, Jethro." Running his hand soothingly down Tim's back, Ducky inquired, "How are you doing today, Timothy?"

Tim, still with his thumb in his mouth only nodded slightly to the older man's question. Laughing, Gibbs carded his fingers through Tim's hair, "You'll have to excuse him. Somebody is tired."

"Aww are little Timmy's teeth still bothering him?" Abby probed, running her finger down the toddler's cheek.

"Yeah," Gibbs sighed, "I just wish I could make him more comfortable." Gently patting Tim's bottom in reassurance he nuzzled closer to his baby, "We'll make it through, eventually."

"Unfortunately it's something all of us have had to go through except in Tim's case, he's…" A knock on the door interrupted Ducky and Tim raised his head for the first time, hopeful that it was his buddy.

Tim's eyes widened in anticipation as Gibbs shifted him in his arms and opened the door. "Toey! Zeba!" The toddler squealed and bounced in excitement as Gibbs stepped aside and allowed them to enter.

"Hey, kiddo!" Tony laughed as Tim immediately stretched his arms out wanting to be held. Ruffling the little one's hair, Tony quickly removed his outerwear and took the baby into his arms. Flinging his arms around Tony, Tim gave him a squeeze and buried his face in the crook of his neck. "Me mish u Toey."

Laying a kiss to Tim's forehead, Tony responded, "I missed you too, buddy. Have you been a good boy for your daddy today?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Tim blushed and burrowed closer to Tony when Gibbs cleared his throat and spoke, "Had a little incident in the grocery store earlier. Didn't we Timmy?"

"What happened?" Ziva asked as she headed into the kitchen to prepare a salad to go with dinner.

The rest of the team followed and took a seat around the kitchen table. After checking the lasagna again, Gibbs handed out drinks and prepared a bottle for Tim. Taking a bib out of the kitchen drawer he tossed it at Tony and spoke, "It appears our little Timmy is becoming quite the rebel."

Gibbs sighed as he looked down at the sleeping baby. Tim had been asleep for over two hours and he needed to run to the grocery store before the team came for dinner. He felt bad about waking him, but knew if he let him sleep too long he would have trouble getting him down that night. Soothingly rubbing his hand down the toddler's back, he gave his bottom a few gentle pats.

"Sweetie, it's time to get up. Daddy needs to run to the grocery store."

When Tim didn't so much as stir, Gibbs rubbed his back a little harder. "C'mon sleepyhead, if you don't wake up then you won't get to see the team later."

Slowly waking up, Tim rubbed his hand over his eyes, rolled onto his back and stretched. "Dada me sweepy," he whined as Gibbs reached into the crib and picked him up.

"I know kiddo. I'm sorry, but if I let you sleep any longer then you won't sleep tonight. I've got a ba ba waiting for you after we get your diaper changed."

Laying him on the makeshift changing table, he quickly removed the sodden diaper and cleaned him up. Tim had been sleeping in just a diaper so he grabbed a sweater and pair of jeans from the drawer and pulled them on.

"You look so handsome my boy. Regular chip off the old block."

Picking him up once again he carried him downstairs and grabbed their coats and hats from the hall closet.

"Ba ba!" Tim whimpered impatiently as Gibbs zipped up his coat and put on his hat.

"I know you're hungry, give me a minute sweetie." The older man replied as he donned his own coat and hat.

"Ba ba…dada!" The youngster sniffled as tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

Glad he thought to get the diaper bag and bottle ready ahead of time; he took the bottle out of the microwave and handed it to the toddler. "Geez somebody woke up grumpy. Hopefully once you get some milk in your tummy you'll start to feel better."

Sucking vigorously on the bottle, Tim closed his eyes and savored the warm milk as it caressed his throat and began filling his tummy. Checking to make sure he had everything, Gibbs threw a blanket over Tim's head to protect him from the high wind and headed for the car. Once he got the toddler situated in the car seat and bundled up in the blanket, he hit the road. The drive was relatively quiet except for the sucking and gurgling noises that went along with Tim enjoying his bottle. Pulling into the parking lot, Gibbs was relieved to find it fairly empty for a Sunday afternoon. Finding a close spot, he parked, and then turned around to check on his boy. Tim had over half of the bottle left and he'd hoped it would be enough to keep him satisfied until they were done. Especially since Tim had awakened in a less than stellar mood.

"You ready, kiddo?"

After an affirmative nod from his little one, Gibbs slung the diaper bag over his shoulder and got out of the car. The wind coursed through his body as he stepped out and he was glad he'd thought to at least bring a blanket to cover Tim up with.

Once in the comfort of the store, he removed the covering and sat Tim in the cart.

Starting in the produce section, Gibbs took out his list and began shopping while Tim sucked contentedly on the bottle, taking in the sights and sounds of the store. As they walked the aisles, Tim had finished his bottle and was getting increasingly irritated and bored. Kicking himself for not slipping any toys into the diaper bag, Gibbs picked up the pace but still had plenty of items to cross off his list.

Tim pounded his tiny fists on the handle of the shopping cart to get Gibbs' attention. Leaning down the older man whispered, "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Out!" the toddler shrieked causing a few shoppers in the aisle to glance in their direction.

Knowing there was no way to carry Tim as well as push the cart and shop at the same time; Gibbs tried to deflect the youngster's request. Picking up a box of crackers he shook it, "Want something to eat?"

Shaking his head, Tim pounded his fist on the cart again, "No!"

"Listen buddy you have to stay in the cart until I'm done shopping. It's the safest place for you to be right now."

Tim's bottom lip quivered as he burst into tears. Pushing Gibbs' hand away that had been resting on his arm, he buried his face in the crook of his elbow. It broke Gibbs' heart to hear his baby crying, but as painful as it was he knew Tim just needed to cry it out. Quickly checking the items off his list he could hear Tim's sniffles subside, as they delved deeper into the store. When they reached the pasta aisle, Gibbs moved the cart off to the side to allow other shoppers by and began looking for the supplies he needed to make lasagna that night. Walking a few feet away from the cart to choose which noodles he planned on using, he turned his back only to hear the crashing of glass jars followed by a small giggle. Quickly turning around, his jaw dropped at the mess on the floor near the shopping cart. Carefully stepping around the glass and spaghetti sauce that laid on the floor, he pulled the cart toward him. His face become flushed with embarrassment and anger as some moms gave him a sympathetic look while others snickered.

"Uh oh," Tim whispered, his eyes becoming as big as saucers as he pointed at the floor.

After taking a deep breath, Gibbs rested his forearms on the cart so he was face to face with his son and began, "Uh oh is right! You've been very naughty, why did you do it?"

The toddler's bottom lip stuck out in a pout and he shrugged his shoulders.

Tilting Tim's chin up he said, "I think you do know why. Want to tell me?"

Tim adamantly shook his head, refusing to make eye contact with his daddy.

"We'll talk about his later," Gibbs growled, as he turned around to see an employee walking down the aisle with a broom, dustpan and mop.

"I apologize; I'll pay for the jars that my son broke." Gibbs declared as the teenager huffed and started sweeping up shards of broken glass.

"Manager says its fine, sir. Stuff like this happens all the time." The kid grumbled and dumped the first pan of broken glass into the trashcan. Feeling bad that someone else had to clean up his son's mess, Gibbs reached into his wallet and pulled out a twenty. Handing it over to the lanky teen he smiled, "Sorry, this is for all your trouble."

The kid's eyes lit up as he took the money from Gibbs' hand, "Thank you, sir. I wish more customers were like you."

Gibbs laughed, "Consider that from all the parents who have had a kid knock something over that you've had to clean up."

Looking at his watch, Gibbs realized he was now running behind and hurried to cross the remaining items off his list. Tim had kept his face buried in his arms and eventually fell asleep giving the older man some much-needed breathing room. He knew this wouldn't be the last time his baby boy acted out; what troubled him was the outburst and tantrums Tim had thrown lately. It wasn't easy trying to decipher between the tantrum of a one year old and a man who is having a hard time try adjusting to his new life as a one year old.

After checking out, getting the groceries and Tim into the car, Gibbs headed home. Once they arrived, he brought Tim into the house, deposited him on the couch and warned the toddler not to move. Going back to the car, he returned with numerous shopping bags and began unpacking them in the kitchen. He could hear Tim whimpering from the family room and after he was done he made his way to the other room. Sitting down on the couch he waited until Tim climbed into his lap. Cradling him in his arms he lifted Tim's chin so he could make eye contact and said, "Are you ready to tell me what that was all about at the store? Why you were being so naughty?"

Tim shook his head and stuck his thumb in his mouth as he continued to whimper. All Gibbs wanted to do was soothe him, but he also knew that wasn't something he could do at the moment. If Tim was being forced to grow up all over again then it was Gibbs' job as his daddy to guide him in the right direction.

Sighing, Gibbs repeated his earlier question, "Are you ready to tell me why you were naughty at the store?"

Although he hesitated as if he was thinking about it, Tim shook his head and mumbled "no."

Standing up, Gibbs sat Tim on the couch and continued, "All right then. You're going to have a time out and when you feel like talking about it then call for me. No toys, no TV, nothing. You're just going to sit here and think about what you've done. Don't even think about getting down from here either, daddy will be right in the kitchen keeping a close eye out."

As he walked away, Tim started crying; softly at first but by the time the older man had reached the kitchen, the toddler was outright sobbing. Taking a deep breath Gibbs began working on the lasagna for dinner that night. Glancing at the clock every few minutes he knew that Tim was stubborn but didn't expect him to go past fifteen minutes. Surprised he had made it to the twenty-minute mark; Gibbs peeked into the living room, expecting Tim to be asleep. However, that was not the case; instead Tim was sitting with his arms crossed, a scowl on his face and his bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

"You want to talk about it, Timmy?"

Following a nod, Gibbs wiped his hands clean and headed back to the family room. Before he made it over to the couch, Tim whispered, "Sowry" and buried his face in his hands.

Gibbs took a seat next to him on the couch and put his arm around him, "What are you sorry for?"

Removing his hands from his face he turned toward Gibbs and sniffled before muttering, "Mesh."

"Uh huh and why did you do it?"

"Wan out."

"You wanted to get out of the cart even though I said you couldn't so you decided to make a mess?"

Tim slowly nodded and burst into tears as a mumbled slur of "Sowry…sowry…sowry..." came tumbling out of his mouth.

Ready to comfort his boy, Gibbs drew him into his arm and soothingly ran his hand up and down Tim's back. Once the tears subsided, the older man whispered, "Daddy knows best, next time listen to him and we won't have to go through all of this, all right?"

Grabbing a tissue he wiped Tim's tear stained face and instructed him to blow his nose. "You want to come in the kitchen while I work on dinner or you want to stay here and play?"

Mulling it over in his head, Tim finally motioned to his toys in front of the TV. "All right, toys it is, call me if you need anything sweetie."

Finishing up with his story, Gibbs pulled the lasagna and garlic bread out of the oven. It certainly looked and smelled good, but the test would be if it tasted good.

Tony sniffed the air, "Smells wonderful, boss. If there's leftovers you need to bring them for lunch tomorrow."

Gibbs glared at him and said, "I'll give you the recipe, DiNozzo."

"Perhaps you can make it for Mindy." Ziva retorted and laughed, "Is she not the nineteen year old co-ed that you have been seeing for the past couple of weeks?"

Clearing his throat Tony shook his head, "Her name is Mandy and no that's been over for awhile now."

"Nineteen years old, Tony? She's young enough to be your…."

"Daughter?" DiNozzo beat Abby to the punch before she could finish. Shivering in disgust he continued, "Yeah, she reminded me of that several times so it was adios Mandy."

"Tony will you put Tim in his highchair?" Gibbs asked as he put the pan of lasagna down in the middle of the kitchen table.

Tim whined briefly at the mention of him eating in the highchair, but after a stern look from Gibbs he quickly stopped. Ziva had finished tossing the salad and along with the garlic bread it completed the meal. Setting Tim's bottle on the tray of the highchair, Gibbs dished out a plate of lasagna, cut it up and set it aside to allow it to cool.

"Dada!" The toddler whined for the plate that was just out of his reach.

"It's too hot, son. I don't want you to burn your mouth. How about some bread and salad in the meantime?"

Following a nod from the little one, Ziva filled a bowl with salad and a piece of garlic bread and gave it to Tim. Humming happily as he sucked on the bread, he watched as the other team members dished out food for themselves.

"Look wonderful, Jethro. It appears you have found a hidden talent with all the cooking you've done lately."

Gibbs chuckled, "Don't speak too soon, Duck. Looking good and tasting good are two separate things. I followed the recipe so I hope it will taste as good as it looks."

Everyone laughed when Tony looked up from his plate with a mouth full of lasagna. "Its weally goo bo," he mumbled until Ziva nudged him in the arm.

"Wha?" He questioned and then realizing how ridiculous he sounded, not to mention his lack of manners he gave the table a thumbs up.

"If DiNozzo says it's good we should all dig in before it gets cold."

After checking Tim's lasagna to make sure it had cooled down he placed it in front of his boy along with a kid's fork. Picking up the fork, Tim attempted several times to use it the correct way. Frustrated that his dexterity wasn't at that level he threw it down on the tray and crossed his arms. Gibbs calmly picked up the fork and set it off to the side, "Don't worry, buddy. You'll get there soon. You want daddy to help?"

Huffing, Tim nodded and waited while Gibbs speared a piece of lasagna and offered it to him. Waiting for Tim's reaction, Gibbs took his own bite and was pleasantly surprised that the pasta was so good.

"What do you think, Timmy? Did daddy do good a good job?"

Bouncing in the highchair, the toddler nodded vigorously, scooted the plate closer to him and looked to his daddy for reassurance when he grabbed a piece with his hand. Ruffling Tim's hair, Gibbs nodded, "Go for it, son. We'll keep working on the fork."

Following a litany of praises from his team regarding his cooking, Gibbs blushed and laughed, "Just so you know, I'm not cooking every Sunday."

Ducky stopped eating and wiped his mouth, "Oh I almost forgot I have some interesting news to share with you, Jethro."

Unsure of what Ducky was about to tell him, Gibbs glanced in Tim's direction hoping the doctor would understand his concern if the information he planned on revealing had anything to do with Tim's regression. Noticing the look on Gibbs' face, Ducky nodded in understanding and then mouthed, "Later."

"Friday night when I left they were putting the finishing touches on the daycare it's really nice."

Tony snorted, "Abs, it's for Gibbs' kid and our Timmy, did you expect anything less?"

She shook her head, "No, I didn't Tony. I was surprised Vance allowed that much money to be put into it, that's all."

Gibbs laughed as he looked over at Tim who appeared to be wearing most of the lasagna on his bib rather than it making it's way into his mouth. Brushing the light blonde hair away from his eyes he asked, "How was it, kiddo? Are you still hungry or are you through for right now?"

Opening his mouth to speak he was interrupted by Ducky, "I brought Apple and Pumpkin pies along with whip cream. Make sure you save room for dessert."

"Ukin," Tim squealed clapping his hands in excitement.

"Why don't wait a little bit and allow our food time to digest, in the meantime you can have more lasagna, Tim."

The toddler shook his head and pounded his tiny fists on the highchair tray, "Out dada."

"Alright but first we need to clean you up. I don't think anyone would appreciate stains on their clothing." Standing up, Gibbs grabbed the baby wipes from the counter and proceeded to wipe Tim's spaghetti stained face and hands.

The team watched in awe at how the once stone-faced Marine had transformed into a loving and caring daddy overnight. Although the circumstances were less than ideal they couldn't imagine anyone else raising their teammate, friend and now little brother.

"Ba ba,"

Grimacing as he picked up the dirty bottle, Gibbs washed it off, poured some more milk in it and popped it in the microwave. When it was finished he gathered Tim in his arms and sat back down. Even though Tim could now hold the bottle on his own, he loved being able to cuddle while he fed it to him. It was a moment the two had come to enjoy together very much. However, when he sat down and saw three sets of puppy dog eyes glaring at him, he decided to let Tim choose. "Sweetie, do you want one of them to feed you?"

Tim was unresponsive for a moment, no doubt mulling over the decision in his mind. While he enjoyed spending time with the others, nobody could recreate the love and security he felt when he was with his daddy. Shaking his head he grabbed hold on Gibbs' shirt and whispered, "Dada."

"That's my boy," the older man responded as he leaned down and kissed Tim's forehead. Readjusting the toddler so that he was cradled in his arms, Gibbs inserted the nipple in Tim's mouth and relaxed back against the chair. When he noticed the entire team staring at him, he shrugged his shoulders, "What?"

Ziva smiled, "It is nothing Gibbs you two just look so peaceful together."

"A regular Kodak moment," Abby chimed in as she glanced toward Tony and Ziva. After a nod from the two she stood up and went into the family room. When she came back she was carrying a bag and gently placed it in front of Gibbs. "We wanted to get something the two of you could share together. Something you could both appreciate when Tim gets older."

Tim's eyes shifted slightly as Gibbs used his free hand to dig inside the bag. After a little help from Tony, the older man pulled out a scrapbook. It had an old rustic flare; the front cover was one half of a compass followed by the word's 'Life's Journey' which consisted of upper and lower case letters.

"We know that you and Tim are going to have very fond memories together and we wanted you to be able to document them. Hopefully this will only be the start and you will fill many more scrapbooks in the years to come."

"Wow, thank you Abby. Thanks to all of you, I know this scrapbook is something we'll enjoy doing together."

Tony pulled a small digital camera out of his pocket, "Abby's right, Boss. The two of you sitting there cuddled up together is definitely worth documenting. I know you weren't keen on pictures before, but what about now?"

Although he wasn't fond of having his picture taken, Gibbs knew his team was right and Tim would want these memories to look back on. Looking down at his son, Gibbs nodded and allowed Tony to snap a few pictures of them together.

"Perfect," Tony stated as he scrolled back and allowed the group to see the photos.

Grabbing the camera from Tony's hand, Abby squealed, "Oh my god, that's the best picture I've ever seen. If you'll email them to me Tony I'll print them off and get them back to you Gibbs."

Ziva got up from her chair and started collecting the dirty dishes, "Wonderful meal, Gibbs. Let us clean up while you relax."

Gibbs smiled, "Thanks, Zeever."

Between the four of them they had the dishes washed and the leftovers packed up in no time. Tim was finishing his bottle when Ziva appeared and reached down to tickle his belly. The toddler giggled and then remembering his own experience with tickling after feeding, Gibbs reached out and grabbed her hand. Confused she looked over at him, "What is it? I was just having some fun with this little guy."

"It's best not to tickle immediately after he's had a bottle otherwise it's going to end up all over someone. That someone will probably be me."

Suddenly understanding she nodded, "Do you mind if we take him in the other room to play for a little bit?"

Tim clapped his hands and reached out for Ziva. Gathering the toddler in her arms she took him out to the family room with Abby and Tony in tow.

"I'm going to get some coffee, would you like some tea?"

"Ah yes, Jethro. You read my mind. I put some water on to boil while we were cleaning up."

Grabbing the teapot off the stove, Gibbs poured the hot water into a mug and added a tea bag, poured a fresh cup of coffee and returned to the table.

Taking a peek in the other room to make sure Tim was content; Gibbs slid down into the chair and ran his fingers through his hair. "Now's a good time, what were you planning on telling me earlier?"

"I spoke with the doctor at the jail earlier this afternoon. Apparently Ella Grey is now a full-fledged adult again. The drug ran its course and she was transformed back over a week ago. Lucy is no longer caring for her and they are in separate areas of the jail while they await trial."

Gibbs sighed, "Part of me wishes that bitch would have to grow up again just like Timmy but the other part of me wants her to pay for what she's done. I'm glad Tim will finally get justice and the Greys get to rot in jail for the rest of their lives."

Ducky studied Gibbs' face, "Something else on your mind, Jethro?"

"It's been a long three weeks. I forgot how exhausting it is having a new baby around. Tim's appears to be having a hard time adjusting and I don't know if that's the tantrums of a one year old or the fact that he's coming to the realization that he's not turning back."

"Timothy is not stupid my friend. I think he knew a week ago that he wasn't turning back. As far as his attitude, it could be a combination of both things. He's teething and not feeling well and he lost most of his knowledge in the past week. I think it would be best if you take everything with a grain of salt. Let him know that he's loved and cared for, but set boundaries for him also. You're not doing this alone, Jethro. We're all here and will help in any way we can."

"Good to know, Duck. I think I'm going to need all the help I can get."