"Stop what you're doing!" Abby announced as she ran into the squad room, Ducky not far behind her. It had been about three weeks since Tony had killed Smith.
"What's going on, Abs?" Burley asked.
"We don't have a case or anything." McGee replied.
"It's Charity." Abby replied.
"What's wrong?" Burley asked. "I thought she was fine. Maybe a little shaken, but I figured she'd bounce back fine. Like she always does."
"Yeah, well now she's thinking about not coming back from her maternity leave." Abby replied.
"What?" The three others asked in unison.
"But…what? Why?" McGee asked, unable to fathom what could make his boss want to leave the team.
"And how did you find out?" Burley asked.
"Charity called me last night seeking advice." Ducky answered.
"And Tony called me worried." Abby added.
"But NCIS is her life." Burley spoke up.
"Ah, but it is no longer the entirety of her life." Ducky countered. "Her main concern with what happened with Smith was that it put Tony and her young son in danger."
"Family can be a rather large motivator." Ziva agreed. "Though Charity is too good at her job to just quit."
"Exactly." Abby agreed. "We have to do something to change her mind."
"What advice did you give her, Ducky?" Burley asked.
"I told her to take her time to think about it." Ducky answered. "This wound is still too raw."
"Which means we have just a little over a month to convince her not to quit." Abby said.
"Yes, but how?" Ziva asked.
The group sat there thinking for a few moments, before Burley spoke up. "She's focusing on the bad right now, that's why she wants to quit."
"So, we have to get her to see the good." Abby finished his thought. "We have to remind her of all of the good."
"What's going on?"
The team looked up to see the director entering the room. They all looked at each other, wondering if they should tell her or not.
Jenny sighed. "McGee?" She asked, knowing that he was likely to crack first.
"Special Agent DiNozzo is thinking about leaving NCIS because of what happened with Smith." He answered. "We're trying to think of a way to make her stay."
"I see." Jenny replied. "So, how do you plan on doing that?"
"We were thinking about showing her all of the good she has done." Abby answered. "All of the good that comes with working here."
"What can I do to help?" Jenny asked.
Charity a few days later…
Charity was sitting in the nursery after having just fed AJ. She was rocking him back to sleep, when Tony walked in the room. "How's he doing?" He asked.
"Good. He's fighting sleep, but he'll give in here soon." Charity answered.
"What do you say we go out for lunch?" Tony asked. "We haven't been out of the house in a while and it would be good to get AJ out and used to being around people."
"Yeah." Charity agreed. "Even though you and I both know you just wanna show him off." She added the last part with a teasing smile.
"Can you blame me?" Tony asked. "I have the best family, a beautiful wife and a perfect son. How could I not want to brag a bit?"
Charity smiled. "You always know just what to say. Let me just get ready and then I'll pack AJ's thing…"
"I've already packed up the diaper bag." Tony replied. "All you need to do is get your-beautiful-self ready."
Charity laughed and shook her head. She got up, passing AJ over to Tony and went to change into a pair of jeans and a tshirt. She came back out and Tony already had AJ fastened in his car seat. This had woken him up, but he didn't seem grumpy. Tony was tickling him and making goofy faces, which made him coo. Charity walked around to look at AJ's face and saw that he was smiling with his mouth open in silent laughter. Charity quickly pulled out her phone and hit record. She made sure to move so that she could get some of the faces Tony was making.
Tony looked up at her. "Really?" He asked.
Charity grinned and turned the camera off. "Hey, I've gotta get these moments. It's cute and sweet."
Tony laughed and shook his head. "Are you ready?"
"I think I have everything." She answered.
Tony picked up the car seat and the family headed out. They arrived at an outdoor café and sat down. They ordered their meals and then sat and talked.
Tony made a joke and Charity let out a laugh. "It's good to see you smiling and laughing." He told her.
"It's just been hard." She replied.
"I know." Tony said, reaching a hand over to touch hers. "But we'll get through it…all of it."
Charity smiled. "I know. I'm glad I have you."
Tony took Charity's hand and brought it to his lips to kiss it. "Are you still thinking about leaving NCIS?"
Charity nodded. "I just want to do what's best for our family."
"I know." Tony replied.
Once they had finished eating, they hopped back in the car. Charity was surprised when Tony didn't take them back home. "Where are we going?" She asked.
"Some place to remind you of all that you do." Tony replied.
They were soon arriving at NCIS and heading inside. When they walked in, Abby greeted them. "If you'll follow me, this way." Abby said and then headed up to MTAC.
They walked in and Charity was completely surprised by what she saw. Jenny, her father, Burley, Ziva, McGee, Ducky, Fornell, and even Senior were all gathered there. "What's going on?" She asked.
"We all know you're thinking about not coming back, Boss." Burley answered.
"And we know why, Charity." Ducky added.
"So we just pulled a little something together to help you remember all of the good that comes with working here." Abby concluded.
"So, have a seat Agent DiNozzo." Jenny said, gesturing to a front row seat.
Charity walked to the seat, Tony following with AJ, and sat down. The group moved around and then a video began to play on the screen. It showed pictures of all of the victims and their families, Charity had helped throughout her career at NCIS. It showed photos of the team together on various occasions. Once the video was over, the group then took turns speaking.
"Charity." Burley began. "You may be one of the worst bosses and one of the hardest people to get along with; and if you left I would be in charge and probably have fewer headaches, but you're also one of the strongest and smartest people I've ever worked with. And it would be a damn shame if you quit now."
"Boss." McGee went next. "You can't quit now. This team still needs you and the rest of the world needs the good you do."
"Charity, I know you and I got off on the wrong foot." Ziva went next. "But we've become friends since then. You're a good agent and you've helped me personally realize things that were difficult for me, but I am stronger now because of you."
"You can't quit Charity." Abby went next. "This place is just as much your home as your apartment is. We are your family and you can't break us up. This family still needs you…I need you."
"Charity, I have known you since Mike first brought you in to work here." Ducky said. "You had a fire and determination to help other families like your own. You wanted nothing more than to help other people. Do not let what this maniac did stop you from doing that. You've helped hundreds of people. I know you're meant to help more."
"I know we haven't always gotten along." Fornell said next. "I know that just about every time I come around you get shot and that you now want a shot on site order issued for me. You're also just as much of a pain in my ass as I am in yours…but I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit back and let you quit because of one maniac. You're a good agent and if this agency loses you, it's something terrible."
Charity was rather shocked by Fornell's words. She had no idea he cared so much.
"Life would definitely be easier for me, if I let you walk away, Agent DiNozzo." Jenny said. "But you're a damn good agent and a huge asset to this agency. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss you."
"Baby girl." Gibbs said. "You know I'd love nothing more than for you to be safe, but I also want you to be happy. I don't think you could be happy without this job. You'd miss it."
"As your father-in-law, all I have to say is you can't quit." Senior said. "If it weren't for you, I might be in a jail cell right now for something I didn't do, instead I get to be a part of my son's life…part of my grandson's life."
"And you and I met here." Tony told his wife. "If it weren't for this place, we wouldn't have met. AJ wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be getting along with my father. I know you're worried about keeping AJ safe, but you staying here will help that. The more criminals you put away, the safer the streets are for our son."
Charity took in each thing everyone was saying. She couldn't believe she'd made such an impact in their lives as they were telling her.
"And just in case you forgot why you started working here in the first place, we brought in someone to remind you." Jenny said.
The door opened then and Mike Franks walked in the room. "Darlin' I can't believe what I'm hearin'. Do you really wanna quit NCIS?" He asked.
"I'm considering it." Charity answered. "For the safety of my family."
"Darlin' you can't do that. Or have you forgotten why you joined in the first place?" Mike asked. "You wanted to turn your tragedy into something positive. You wanted to help people. You wanted to take people like the man that killed your family off the streets. You wanted to clean this world up and make it a better safer place. If you quit now, how can you do that?"
"My team is a good team." Charity answered. "I've trained them well."
"Don't you see though, if you let what this maniac did stop you from doing what you do, he's winning. He may be dead and in the ground, but he's winning if you quit." Mike told her. "Do you want him to win? Do you want to give him that kind of power over you?"
"Of course not." Charity answered.
"Then don't give up."
Charity knew deep down that they were all right, every single one of them. She knew that she couldn't quit. There was still a part of her that worried for the safety of her family, but she also knew that working at NCIS was one thing she could do to help keep her family safe. "You guys are right."
"Does that mean you're coming back?" Abby asked, her tone hopeful.
"Yes." Charity answered.
Abby let out an excited squeal as she ran over to Charity and hugged her, tightly.
A couple of days later…
Tony and Charity had driven Mike to the airport. Charity was saying her goodbyes with Mike. "You know, you got a good team, Probie." He told her. "They went to a lotta trouble to bring me up here to convince you to stay."
"I know." Charity replied.
"You also got a good man there. He seems to understand you better than any of those idiots you dated when you were younger."
Charity laughed. "That he does."
"And a handsome little boy there, too." Mike told her. "Just make sure you enjoy him now. They grow up before you know it."
"I didn't realize you'd raised many kids?" Charity asked.
"Just one. She wasn't little when I got her, a head strong teenager, but I think she turned out pretty well." Mike replied.
Charity threw her arms around Mike. "Thanks for coming and talking some sense into me."
"Any time." Mike replied hugging her back.
Once they broke the hug, Mike turned to look at Tony, who was currently taking care of AJ. "You keep an eye on her and that boy." He advised.
"I will." Tony replied.
"And when she gets to be too much, just call me. I'll come help ya straighten her out any time."
"I'll keep that in mind." Tony agreed.
Mike was turning to head to the gate, when Charity called after him. "Mike!"
"Yeah, Probie?" He asked.
"Don't be a stranger. My son needs to know his Uncle Mike."
"That street goes both ways, Darlin'." Mike replied. "Next time you take a vacation, come see me in Mexico."
A/N: I apologize for my long absense from this story and from this site. I have been very busy with things going on in my personal life lately. I've also been distracted with writing something different (that may or may not end up on my page in the futue I still haven't decided). Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I hope to be updating more soon. Please read and review :)