It was just after lunch when Gibbs poked his head into Jack's office. He didn't make a sound, but Jack had an innate ability to sense when Gibbs was close and looked up from her computer to smile at him. "Hey," she greeted him warmly.

"Okay if I get Faith from school?"

Jack's brow furrowed because, while it was normal for Gibbs to offer to pick Faith up when Jack was busy, it was odd for him to request to pick her up when he knew Jack planned to do so. However, despite being subjected to intense scrutiny, Gibbs kept his face blank until Jack finally relented. With a jerky nod, she said, "Um, sure."

Gibbs didn't give Jack a chance to say anything else or ask any questions before he retreated into the hallway. As he walked away, she heard him call back, "I'll have her home by dinner."

"Okay. Good talk," Jack muttered to her empty office.

NCIS NCIS NCIS

That afternoon, Gibbs took Faith out for ice cream. He let her order the largest sundae available, then sat across from her, silently drinking his coffee, while she ate it. Between bites, Faith filled the silence by telling him about her day in agonizing detail. When she felt Gibbs was sufficiently up to speed on the happenings of her fourth grade class, she asked, "Why didn't my mom pick me up? Or Mrs. Evenson?"

"I volunteered."

"Why?"

"Wanted to talk to ya about your mom."

Faith's heart started to race. Her grip on her spoon tightened until her knuckles were white. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine. Still at work."

"You scared me!" exclaimed Faith, glaring at Gibbs.

"Didn't mean to."

"You should have been more pacific."

"Specific," Gibbs corrected automatically.

"Whatever. Why do we need to talk about Mom?"

"Not just your mom. It's about you and me too."

"Be. Pacific."

Gibbs bit his tongue against the urge to correct her again. "We've been dating for awhile, your mom and me, and I want to know if it'd be okay with you if I ask her to marry me."

"Yes."

"Don't you want to think about it?"

"No."

"Ask any questions?"

"No. Wait. Yes. Can I help pick out the ring?"

"Sure, Little Doc. Finish your ice cream and we can go shopping before I have to take you home."

NCIS NCIS NCIS

At the jewelers, a salesperson offered their assistance, but Gibbs waved them away in favor of browsing independently. He ushered Faith over to one end a display of engagement rings and began systematically inspecting row after row of diamond solitaires.

Faith quickly became bored with Gibbs' approach to ring shopping. Her preferred method involved wandering back and forth in front of the display case, pausing occasionally when a particular ring drew her eye. On one of her trips, she stopped at the far end of the case. When she didn't start moving again, Gibbs walked over to see what had caught her attention. Resting a hand on her shoulder, he asked, "What cha find?"

"Look," gasped Faith, pointing at a ring near the front of the display. "It's you, me, and Mom"

Gibbs half-crouched down, half-bent over to get a better view of the ring Faith indicated. It was a white gold braided wedding band. Two of the strands were lined with small diamonds while the third was unadorned. It was elegant and discreet, which was a plus given their line of work. It truly was perfect. There was only one problem. "It's a wedding ring, not an engagement ring."

"So?"

"Don't need a wedding ring unless she says yes."

Faith turned her head toward Gibbs. The corners of her mouth were angled downward and one eyebrow was raised in a quintessential expression of incredulity. "Why would she say no?" she demanded. "We love you and you love us."

"Sometimes people just don't want to get married."

"She will."

Inwardly cursing himself and the power the Sloanes had over him, Gibbs took another look at the ring and exhaled loudly. "Fine. But we still have to get an engagement ring."

"Duh."

NCIS NCIS NCIS

For several days after he took Faith ring shopping, Gibbs searched for the perfect moment to propose. He made sure the rings he and Faith had chosen were always within arm's reach while also keeping them hidden to prevent Jack from finding them. At various times, the rings were stashed in his coat pockets, his desk drawers, or the glove compartment of his truck.

As it got closer to Halloween, Gibbs' patience waned. He also got less stringent about his requirements for the perfect moment. Then, one night, after Faith was in bed, while he and Jack were watching television, Gibbs was reminded of the night he and Jack had decided to pursue a romantic relationship. He was wedged into the corner of the couch with Jack leaning against him. Their dinner plates, bearing the crumbs of their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sat on the coffee table next to their empty beer bottles and the flickering battery-operated candles that had yet to be placed in the jack-o-lanterns. He knew there wouldn't be a better moment to propose.

Gibbs shoved his hand between his hip and the arm of the couch to fish the ring box out of the pocket of his Carhartt jacket. In the process, he jostled Jack. "Hey," she grumbled.

"Sorry," Gibbs said, twisting his upper body to place a placating kiss against her temple. "Needed to get this." He held the ring box in front of her. "Got something important to ask you."

Gasping, Jack sat upright so quickly that she bounced in her seat and was able to use the momentum to rotate her whole body to face Gibbs. She fumbled for the remote and turned off the television. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes." Gibbs started to open the ring box.

"Wait! Does Faith know about this? Is this why she wants to be a bride for Halloween?"

"Yes."

"Is she okay with it?"

"Yes," Gibbs chuckled. "Now, if you're done asking questions, I've got one for you." He waited for Jack to nod her consent, then opened the ring box. "Will you marry me?"

Without even looking at the rings, Jack answered, "Yes." She reached for him, letting her fingers skim across his cheeks and over his ears to the back of his head, and drew him to her for a kiss. "I love you," she whispered against his lips.

After another kiss, they broke apart and Jack finally looked at the rings. "They're beautiful. I can't believe you already have the wedding band. You must have been pretty sure I'd say yes."

"No, but Faith was. She picked it out. I hope you like it."

"Like it? It represents you, me, and Faith becoming a family. It's perfect and I love it."

"Pretty much what Faith said," noted Gibbs as he slid the engagement ring onto Jack's finger.

A lump formed in Jack's throat. She pressed her palms together and kept her eyes on her engagement ring as she used her right index finger and thumb to fidget with it. "Are you okay with that?" she asked softly. "Being a family? Being Faith's dad?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

Jack slowly blew out the breath she'd been holding. "Good answer," she replied, beaming at him. Taking his hand, she stood up and pulled him to his feet. "Let's go to bed. I want to celebrate with my fiancé."

"You go ahead. I'll clean up and meet you there."

"Cleaning up can wait. I can't."