NCIS: McBaby

Chapter 19

An eerie silence descended upon the kitchen as each agent attempted to digest the information they had just received from Abby. Tim began whimpering as the words, "someone has been planning this for awhile," repeated over and over again in his mind. Gibbs leaned down and kissed the top of his head before he tightened his grip around Tim's shoulders. "Shh...shh... baby, I intend to keep my promise, nobody will hurt you." Tim gave a slow nod as Gibbs wiped away the tears that welled up in his eyes.

After a few more moments of silence except for the occasional sniffling from Tim, DiNozzo couldn't stand it any longer.

"Boss, why would the Greys be looking through your personal files? How on Earth could that have anything to do with turning Tim into a baby? I just don't understand what they expected to achieve from that."

Irritated Gibbs raised his finger up to his lips, "Hmm DiNozzo, don't you think if I knew the answers to any of your questions we wouldn't be having this conversation right now? But here's an idea, once Abby confirms the breach is related to this case, then you can figure it out for me."

Tony sighed, "Sorry boss but this case is just so frustrating."

Gibbs stared at him for a moment until he pounded his fist on the table, causing Tim to jump.

"Frustrating? Frustrating?" His voice steadily grew angrier.

"If you think this is frustrating for you, how do you think Tim feels?"

Tony ran his fingers through his hair, "I know this is extremely hard on Tim; there are just so many unanswered questions that are bothering me."

Emotionally exhausted from the day's events, Tim did not want to discuss the case anymore at that moment. He covered his ears with his hands, began shaking his head and mumbling, "No, No, No!"

"Okay, okay Timmy...we're done for tonight." Gibbs reassured him, running his hands up and down Tim's arms. Eventually Tim's breathing evened out as he closed his eyes and leaned back against Gibbs' chest.

"Probie, I brought my DVD player, if you want we can all cuddle up in front of the fire and watch a movie."

Tim's eyes shot open; he smiled and clapped his hands at Tony's suggestion. The three adults breathed a collective sigh of relief as they watched Tim's mood improve because of a simple plan.

The only concern Gibbs had was that none of the movies be scary. Tim was already having nightmares regarding the Greys and he didn't want to add any fuel to the fire.

"Tony, the only restriction I have about the movie is nothing scary. Tim doesn't need any more stress."

Ziva shuddered, "I hate scary movies!"

Tony looked over at her and smirked, "Wow! Ziva David is scared of something? Who would have guessed it?"

Ziva rolled her eyes as Tony stood up and went out to the family room to get the DVD player set up.

Gibbs squeezed Tim's shoulders and leaned in close, "If it's alright with you, I'm going to go down and work on my boat while you three watch the movie. If you need me then I can be back up here in no time."

Tim smiled and reached both arms out; Ziva scooped him up, kissed his forehead and headed for the family room. However, she stopped when Tim began fidgeting and called out for Gibbs. She turned back toward the kitchen meeting Gibbs half way. Before they could ask Tim what was wrong he leaned over, wrapped his arms around Gibbs' neck and squeezed. There was a collective "Aww" from the pair as Tim finally released his grip and settled back into Ziva's embrace. Gibbs smiled then ruffled his hair, "Thanks sweetie that was nice." Tim blushed then waved as Ziva headed back to the family room. They took a seat on the couch and Ziva gently tapped him on the nose "You are quite the little charmer, I can tell you have Gibbs wrapped around your finger!"

He smiled then whispered, "Zeba?"

She stroked his cheek with her hand, "Yeah sweetie, what do you need?

"Ba Ba Pwease." He begged flashing his famous puppy dog eyes before immediately burying his face in her chest.

Ziva rested her chin on the top of Tim's head enjoying his baby smell. "Of course, sweetie. Tony, when you are done can you get Timmy a fresh bottle?"

Tony finished hooking up the last cable before heading into the kitchen to warm up a bottle. While he was waiting for it to be done he called out to the family room, "I brought some DVDs; they are sitting on the table, why don't you two decide which one you want to watch."

Ziva spread the DVDs out along the table so Tim could look at them. He smiled and pointed at the "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" DVD. "Good choice Timmy, I haven't watched this movie in ages." Tony said as he came back into the family room carrying the bottle of milk.

"Did you check the milk and make sure it is not too hot?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders, "How am I supposed to do that? The outside of the bottle doesn't feel hot."

Ziva shook her head, "Here let me show you." She grabbed the bottle from his hand as both Tony and Tim watched her intently. "First you give it a little shake then you sprinkle a couple of drops on the inside of your wrist. The skin there is sensitive so you can tell right away if it is too warm. I believe this temperature will be just fine."

Tony nodded, stuck the DVD in the player then walked back over to the couch. He reached for the bottle but Ziva pulled it away. "Come on it's my turn with Tim."

Ziva raised her eyebrows, "Ahh...Ahh...Maybe we should ask Timmy who he wants to feed him."

Tim blushed; he never thought he would see the day when Tony and Ziva were actually fighting over who got to spend time with him. All he wanted was to taste the sweet milk so as they continued bickering, he screamed out "Both!"

Tony and Ziva stopped mid sentence and turned their attention toward Tim. He glanced between the two of them, "Both," he whispered. The pair smiled as they arranged themselves on the couch. They positioned Tim so he was lying at an angle; his upper body leaned against Tony's chest and his legs were draped over Ziva's lap.

Tony grabbed the bottle from the end table before asking Tim if he was comfortable. The youngster acknowledged that he was and licked his lips as Tony brought the bottle up to his lips. He began sucking with gusto, savoring the sweet creamy liquid as it caressed his throat. Satisfied that Tim was taken care of for the moment, they snuggled together and started the movie.

Gibbs headed downstairs to work on his boat. He needed to release the pent up frustration and anxiety this case had brought on. Although he was a master of not showing a lot of emotion, he was beginning to find it difficult to remain calm, especially around Tim. He grabbed the sanding block and took a seat on the stool. His mind drifted back to what Abby had told them earlier. The fact that "someone" had been snooping around in his and Tim's personal files didn't sit right with him. As he began sanding, he racked his brain; trying to think of what information this person was looking for and what they intended to do with it. Each new thought that entered his mind angered him even more and before he knew it, he was sanding so fast and furious the block slipped out of his hand and flew across the basement. He wiped the sweat from his brow, took a deep breath and stood up to collect the sander. His boat had always been a source of stress relief for him, but not tonight. He smiled, as his thoughts turned to the innocent baby upstairs. He was glad that Tim was finally comfortable around the team, with the exception of Abby but he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Aww the hell with it he thought as he threw the sander on the workbench and headed upstairs to check on his little one.

He poured himself a cup of coffee and smiled at the sight that greeted him when he walked into the family room. He leaned against the doorway and quietly watched his kids. Tim was cradled in Tony's arms, sucking his thumb while trying his best to stay awake. His little eyes would droop, and then suddenly would be wide open again. Ziva was asleep, using Tony's shoulder as a pillow, her mouth partially open as she snored. Tony stood guard over the pair but his attention was mainly focused on Tim as he continually rubbed small circles over his belly.

Gibbs was so engrossed with his thoughts he didn't hear Tony calling him from across the room. It wasn't until Jethro nudged his hand that he realized he had been caught. He shook his head as if clearing out the cobwebs and reached down to rub the dog's ears. "You need to go outside, boy?" Jethro whimpered and followed Gibbs to the back door. The snow was still falling at a steady pace so Gibbs grabbed an old towel from the laundry room so he would be prepared once Jethro was finished. A few minutes later, the dog returned to the door, covered from head to tail in snow. Gibbs sighed as he stepped outside and wiped a majority of the snow off before he let him back inside. However, Jethro still shook the remaining wetness from his fur, once again giving Gibbs an unwelcomed shower.

They walked back into the family room; Jethro retreated to his spot in front of the fireplace while Gibbs knelt down in front of Tony. The three were still in the same positions they were earlier but Tim was a little bit more awake. He smiled as Gibbs tenderly brushed his hair to the side. "Hey baby, it's getting late and I still want you to get a bath tonight." Tim whined and snuggled closer to Tony, "Listen, I know you're mighty comfortable there, but how would a bubble bath sound?" Tim's eyes got wide with excitement and he giggled. "All right, I'm going to go start the bath, then I'll come back down and get you." Gibbs left to go start the bath as Tony worked on keeping Tim awake.

He ran his fingers through Tim's hair, "You need a bath kiddo, I don't know how you managed it but there's some spaghetti sauce in your hair."

Tim laughed and squirmed, accidentally kicking Ziva in the arm. She jerked awake, her hand already going to her holster. "Easy Ziva, Tim accidentally kicked you, everything is fine." She wiped the drool from her mouth and looked over at Tim.

"Oh he did, huh?"

Tim squirmed as Ziva reached her hand over and began tickling him. He erupted in to laughter as the pair double-teamed him. It got to the point where Tim was having trouble catching his breath so they had to slow down and allow him to breathe. Not realizing that Gibbs had been watching them from the stairs they all jumped as his voice echoed through the family room. "Sorry to break up the fun, but it's bath time young man. There will be plenty of time for more later on." Gibbs walked over to the couch and held out his arms, "Ready for bubbles big boy?" Tim blushed, before he would allow Gibbs to take him, he grabbed Ziva's hand and pulled her close. He draped his small arms around her neck and squeezed, "Night Zeba."

"Aww Tim that was so sweet!" she said as she kissed his forehead. Tim then turned to Tony, but before he could make his move, Tony had already wrapped his arms around Tim, bringing him into an embrace. "Nite Toey" Tim whispered in his ear. Tony pulled back and looked Tim in the eye, "Good night baby brother, sleep tight and remember we will protect you." Tim smiled and reached out for Gibbs, instantly snuggling close once he was safely in his arms. He sighed as he laid his head on Gibbs' shoulder before mumbling, "Lube you Gib." Suddenly Tim's eyes shot open when he realized what he had just said. Immediately embarrassed, his breathing increased and he started trembling.

Tony and Ziva exchanged looks, wondering if their ears were playing tricks on them or if Tim really said what they thought he said. Based on Tim's reaction they had their answer and headed to the kitchen to give them some space.

Gibbs focused his attention on Tim and attempted to calm him down. As he walked up the stairs to the bedroom, he rubbed his hand up and down Tim's back. Once in the privacy of his own room he sat down on the bed and moved Tim to his lap. Tim's gaze was cast on the floor as he worked to control his breathing. After a few minutes of gentle reassurances, the trembling had passed and his breathing returned to normal. Gibbs decided it was time to address what was said, he used his finger to tilt Tim's chin so he could see his face. The one thing Gibbs wasn't expecting was for the look on his face to break his heart. It was a mixture of all different emotions, embarrassment, panic, relief and love.

Gibbs sighed, "Timmy, I want you to know that I'm not mad about what you said, I'm honored. I'm sorry if you didn't know that I've loved you like a son for the past nine years you've been a part of my team."

At Gibbs' admission, Tim raised his head a little higher and continued to listen.

"The truth of the matter is, I haven't always been there as a father figure for you like I have the others. Regardless if you came from a good family or a broken one I should have let you know that I was there for you too."

He reached up and gently swept Tim's hair off to the side. "To be honest with you, as tough as this whole situation has been for you, I've thoroughly enjoyed having this time with you. Whatever happens, I will always be proud to be your dad and I love you too, son."

Tim was shocked that Gibbs was taking this all in stride and actually apologized to him for not always being there when he needed him. All he could say was, "Real?"

Gibbs used his thumb to wipe the tears from Tim's eyes, "Really, you're not getting rid of me that easy."

Tim smiled, then shifted his weight so he could lay his head against Gibbs' chest. Gibbs wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. He kissed Tim's forehead and they sat for several minutes enjoying each other's company until Tim pulled away. Gibbs laughed as Tim attempted to take off his shirt, "What are you doing kiddo?" Tim gave him an exasperated look, "bubble!"

"Boy, you don't forget anything do you? Well I'm sure the water is cold by now so let me refill it and you can take one."

Tim clapped his hands together, excited not only for the bubble bath, but for the one on one time he would get with Gibbs.

***NCIS***

She looked at her watch for the fifth time in the past fifteen minutes, unhappy she had to wait for someone she was going to pay to do a job for her. She brushed off the snow that had collected on her coat. Sick of the cold she was about to leave but was relieved to see her contact walking toward her on the street.

"Damnit, what took you so long?"

"Sorry, the snow is heavier than I thought, took me longer to walk in this crap."

"She scoffed, "Well it doesn't matter, did you get the goods?"

He nodded, and pulled a small paper bag out of his coat.

She peered in the bag, confirming it was the product she asked for.

He handed her the bag, shivering, "So when is this all going down?"

"I'm not sure yet, the whole plan lies in the hands of some overpaid attorney. I'm paying you a lot of money so if I call and tell you it is game time then I expect you to drop everything and meet at the rendezvous spot.

"Of course, is there anything else that I need to know beforehand?"

She flashed an evil grin, "The less you know the better, I would hate for you to have a terrible accident if this plan gets compromised."

The man gulped, "I will be waiting for the signal."

She laughed, "You better be, because you won't like the alternative if you don't show up."