Warnings: Slight spoilers for NCIS:LA "Blame it on Rio"

A/N: I loved MW's appearance on LA. I have been wanting this to happen since forever lol. It lived up to my expectations and then some :). My only complaint is how OOC Hetty appeared. What was her beef with Tony? And the unnecessary headslap "from" Gibbs at the end... yep, shows you how out of touch Shane Brennan and his writing team are with the mothership. Gibbs hasn't done that to Tony in two years. Also, no way was Tony talking about Ziva when he told Deeks it wasn't going to work out with Kensi. He clearly meant EJ, who he actually dated while both of them were on the job. I don't know much about Deeks and Kensi, I haven't followed L.A as closely, but I like them and hope that Tony is wrong and that it does work out :) Anyways, enjoy!

"Blame Lack of Sleep"

The phone rang again. I knew Gibbs didn't buy it, Tony thought with a nervous shudder. Before he could even reach into his pocket to get his phone Kensi had it in her hand, smiling at him, promising him that she would handle it. Not a good idea, but she won't have to deal with Gibbs.

Kensi's brow furrowed and she held the phone up for him to see. It wasn't Gibbs calling this time. "Girlfriend?" Kensi asked, slightly grinning. "She's awfully pretty. I wonder what she would think about you wanting a change of scenary. Or is she the reason you want a change? Is that why you haven't mentioned her?"

Tony anxiously snatched the phone from her hand and hit the ignore button, wincing. He was going to pay for that more than he was going to pay for Kensi pranking Gibbs. "No, she has nothing to do with the feeling the need for a change. I've been in D.C a long time."

"So, she isn't your girlfriend?" Kensi asked, honestly.

"No," Tony replied. "She's my wife."

"Wife?" Kensi repeated, eyes wide. "Where's the ring, Romeo?"

Tony looked down at his left hand, surprised at how naked it felt without his wedding band. "Oh... well... that's easy—at home, on the dresser where I left it before flying out to L.A. My assignment was sort of last minute. Director Vance had another agent lined up but he got sick..."

Kensi nodded in understanding. "And you needed to get out of D.C for a few hours."

"Yes. It was kind of nice to sleep in a quiet hotel room last night, no screaming baby."

"Screaming baby?"

"My wife and I just recently became parents."

"I would say congratulations," Kensi said with a sad smile, "But you don't seem happy about it."

Tony startled. Really? He adored Jack. He would die for his son. He was just exhausted and really, really had needed that night of sleep last night. His jumping at the chance to travel hadn't been because he wasn't happy about being a father. "No! I love my son! It's just... hard. I knew it would be... but it's really put a strain on our marriage. We fight more now than we did ever before but I don't want her to think that... means everything is falling apart."

Kensi pondered this for a moment. She bickered with Deeks all the time. Was Tony right that it would never work out between them? He was far more perceptive than he let on... "Your wife another agent?"

"Archeology professor at George Washington University."

"Why did you tell Deeks it wouldn't work out between him and I?"

"Dated an agent, her name was EJ... it ended just as quickly as it started thanks to the job," Tony said. He looked at her apologetically. "I don't know if it will work out between you and Deeks or not. I was just trying to ruffle his feathers. It's fun to do so..."

She chuckled. "Yeah. It is fun." Gently, Kensi put her hand on his arm. "You know, DiNozzo, when you get home to D.C, you really need to talk to your wife about how you feel... trust me."

He didn't know why, but he did.

Jack was like clockwork. At three thirty in the morning he was crying and Leah was stumbling out of bed to get him. She brought him back into her bedroom and climbed back into the bed, watching as her four-week-old son happily drank his meal. Leah smiled softly at him. He was really starting to look more and more like his father. She instantly felt guilty thinking about Tony. Before he had left for Los Angles she had been awful to him. Life with a new baby was bittersweet that was for sure. Happy that their baby was here and healthy, but at the same time it was wreaking havoc on their marriage.

Leah had lost count on how many silly, petty arguments that she and Tony had since Jack had been born. Everyone she talked too said that it was going to get better once they adjusted to being parents. It will be better once we can get back to an intimate relationship, she thought with a sigh. The combination of sleep deprivation and sexual frustration was not a good one.

"I knew you two would be up," Tony stated, softly as he entered the bedroom. He looked beat. Dropping his overnight bag down by the door he gently climbed onto the bed and kissed his wife. "I'm sorry."

"For... what exactly?" Leah questioned.

Tony reached out and played with her hair. "For not answering your phone call earlier."

Leah sighed and looked at Jack. "I figured you were busy working. I just... I found your wedding ring and I didn't want you to worry that you'd lost it."

"Are you sure you didn't want to make sure I didn't leave it behind on purpose?"

"Maybe... we've been... well... at each other's throats lately."

He kissed her cheek again. "I know. We're adjusting. Being parents is hard, but it's okay that we might get angry once and a while at each other. However, let's not make it a habit of staying mad at one another. It's going to be okay, sweetheart. We're going to be okay."

She looked at him sheepishly. "We are? Because I feel like I've given you every reason to let go and walk away."

Tony reached out and pulled both his wife and son into his arms. He buried his nose in Leah's hair. "Yes. We are. It took my forever to find you, to have a family. I am never letting go."

Leah's shoulders eased and she finished feeding Jack. The baby was asleep before she could even move to bring him back into the nursery. "It's hard to believe that something so small is causing such huge problems between us."

"I think the lack of sleep is causing the problems," Tony said, sighing. He kissed his wife again and gently rang his fingers over Jack's head. "Here. Let me take him. I'll put him back in his crib."

"Ok," Leah replied, shifting the baby into Tony's arms. "When you come back maybe we can chat about your trip?"

"Sure," he said with a smile, "I'd like that."

Tony carried Jack into the nursery and careful not to disturb him, laid the infant into the crib for the rest of the night. Rubbing his eyes, Tony turned on his heel and quietly left the baby's room, leaving the door slightly ajar. Loosening his tie, Tony stepped into the bedroom ready to talk about his time in L.A, only to find that his wife was softly snoring. Laughing to himself, he kicked his shoes off, climbed into the bed and fell asleep with her in his arms.