She sits in the bathroom, on the edge of the bathtub wearing a towel. She waits as the tub fills with water. She reflects on her day. She had to agree with Addy, she does work too much. She shakes her head, at the observational powers of her nine year old daughter. She feels a pang of guilt that her daughter has mistaken her uncertainty for unhappiness. She turns off the faucet with her left hand. She feels herself going numb. She stares blankly at the water. She blinks, and turns the attention to the object in her right hand.
He's lying in a puddle of drool, on his pillow, with a pair of three year old feet in his face, when he feels himself being shaken into consciousness. He opens his eyes, and finds that his wife is not lying next to him anymore. He rolls onto his back, and finds her standing over him. He yawns.
"What's wrong?"
"It's time to go," she informs him.
He glances at the clock, "Ziva, it's three o'clock in the morning. It's not time for me to get up for work."
"Tony, we need to take Malachi over to Kate's. I already texted her."
"It's time?!" His eyes widen.
"Let's go! I already started the car."
"Okay, let me put on some pants."
He hops out of bed, and pulls on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He scoops his three year old out of bed, and carefully follows his wife down the stairs. She settles into the car as he walks across the neighborhood, with a pajama-clad three year old. He reaches Kate's house, and knocks on the door. She pulls the door open wearing pajamas, and a robe. She stands in the doorway, sans make-up, and for the first time he notices how exceedingly tired she looks. She forces a smile, and slips the toddler out of his arms. He kisses the boy on the forehead, and returns to his driveway. Kate closes, and locks the door, and carries the toddler up to her room. She tucks him in bed next to her. With the lamp from her bedside stand she looks at the toddler. She reflects on how simple things were when Addy was his age.
Her eyes were always full of wonder, and her face was always full of joy. She was sweet, and snuggly, and never wanted Kate to leave her. She would wail the second that Kate would move toward the door. She breathes a sigh of relief, knowing that within seconds Tony had comforted her, and she stopped crying. She glances at Malachi, and shakes her head.
"Who would have thought he would be such a natural?"
It has been a couple of weeks since Abby has revealed the news to McGee. She has done her best to keep the news under wraps, until a more appropriate time. She looks up from her computer, as her spidey-senses begin to tingle. She turns around, and finds Gibbs moving towards her with a cup of Caf-Pow. He sits it down next to her.
"What have you got for me?"
"I finished the ballistics, and the shell casings are a match to the Lieutenant Commander's service weapon."
"Abby?"
"Huh?"
"Why aren't you drinking? You usually have that half gone by now."
"I am just cutting back," she answers.
He furrows his brows, "You're ninety nine percent caffeine," he points out.
"I found plant matter on the Lieutenant Commander's boot that puts him in Florida within the past week."
"Hmm… seems like you're trying to change the subject."
"And, there was a wing embedded in the tread of his shoe which matches an insect which is native to Florida. Can I get a drumroll, please?"
"When did you find out?" He squints.
"The computer just confirmed a couple of minutes ago."
"I'm not talking about the case."
"I am not ready to talk about that, yet."
He sits down at the dinner table, and finds that his wife is the only one present. He furrows his brow, and looks up at Hollis.
"Where are the kids?"
"They are playing downstairs."
"Did they already eat?"
"Yes."
"We usually eat together," he points out.
"You know how you agreed to send in some information to that adoption agency?"
"Yeah," he nods.
"They called earlier today."
"Let me guess, they think that we're too old?"
She grins, "No."
"They need us to fill out more paperwork?"
"Nope," she shakes her head.
"So, what?"
"They wanted to let us know that we passed our background checks."
"Obviously."
"And they stopped by today to do a home visit."
"Already?" He cocks an eyebrow.
"You never told me whether you would want a boy, or a girl."
"I thought it was a long shot," he admits.
"I know."
"I don't have any preference," he answers.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," he nods, "Why?"
"How long do you think that it would take to dig the nursery stuff out of the garage?"
"It is all labeled, so it shouldn't take too long."
"There is a seventeen year old in Virginia, who is a senior in high school. She wants to become a Marine."
"And?"
"She wants to place her baby with us. She is due next week."
"What?!"
"I will understand if you think that it's too soon. You probably want a boy, anyway. I told them that it was something that we would have to discuss."
"We need to discuss it with the kids. I'm fine with it."
"Really?!"
"Yeah," he grins, "As long as I get to name her."
Kate sits in Tony's living room, and watches as Addy holds her new sibling. Addy studies the baby boy carefully. She looks up, and grins. Ziva enters the room, and takes a seat next to Tony, on the couch. Malachi sits on the floor playing with blocks.
"I thought that you had already landed on a name," Kate points out.
"We had narrowed it down to Ezekiel David for a boy, and Sariah Hope for a girl," Tony explains.
"When he came out nothing fit," Ziva adds.
"And you haven't been able to land on anything after two weeks?" Kate questions.
Malachi looks up at her, and grins, "I said Thomas."
"Like the train," Tony adds.
Addy sits next to Tony, with her eye locked on the sleeping baby. "Gabriel," she whispers. He opens his eyes, and looks up at her.
"What did you just say?" Ziva asks.
"Gabriel," Addy answers.