NCIS: McBaby

Chapter 34

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McBaby
Author: HarmonFreak1 PM
When Tim is drugged and reduced to a toddler how will the gang react? Will they be able to change him back or will he have to grow up all over again? Papa Gibbs and Baby Timmy!
Follow/FavoriteRated: Fiction T - English - Hurt/Comfort/Family - Tim M., Leroy Jethro Gibbs - Chapters: 36 - Words: 123,934 - Reviews: 649 - Favs: 208 - Follows: 295 - Updated:
As they approached the hallway that held the interrogation rooms, Gibbs' adrenaline was pumping; his heart rate increased and he started to sweat. When they came to a stop outside the room, Vance was surprised when Gibbs followed him into observation instead of interrogation.

"What's wrong, Gibbs?" Vance probed as he watched him pace back and forth inside the small room.

Gibbs walked over to the glass pane that separated the two rooms; "I want to study her before I deal with her face to face. This is not only about seeking justice, I have questions and I want answers!"

Vance stepped up next to Gibbs and put a hand on his shoulder, "If anyone can get those answers, I have no doubt it's you."

"I'm just worried they won't be satisfactory enough for me, Tim or my team."

The Director sighed, "Would you like me to do it?"

Gibbs scoffed, "Now you're just trying to piss me off."

"Is it working?"

After a moment of silence, Gibbs turned to face him; his lip curled upward, "Yeah, yeah I think it is."

Vance grabbed his shoulders; "Good, focus that anger," he cocked his head to the side, "On that woman in there."

Taking a deep breath, Gibbs nodded, grabbed a bottle of water off the table and opened the door.

Before he could exit, Vance called out to him, "Do it for Tim. Your boy deserves answers more than anyone."

With an affirmative nod of his head, Gibbs took another deep breath and closed the door.

***NCIS***

Back in Vance's office, Ducky looked up from the book he was reading, as Abby appeared to be on cloud nine after finally being able to hold Tim for the first time. Over the past ten minutes, she had strolled around the office and anytime the toddler sighed or snuffled her immediate attention was focused on him.

"Abigail, why don't you take a seat and relax? Who knows how long this interrogation could last."

Abby shook her head, "Gibbs gave me a job to do, and I don't want to wake him up by changing positions."

Ducky chuckled, "I assure you, the poor lad was up half the night. I guarantee you, he will not wake up if you sit down."

Although Tim was only a year old he was starting to get heavy for the Goth. "All right, I'll go sit down but if I wake him up, I get to say I told you so."

The older man got up from the conference table and motioned for Abby to follow him. He propped up the pillow on the end of the leather couch and guided her to sit down. Carefully, he helped extract the youngster from her shoulder and the two of them were able to shift him so he was cradled in her arms. Tim stirred lightly, but Abby immediately calmed him down by rubbing her thumb across his forehead. Both of them held their breath as Tim's breathing eventually evened out and he was asleep again.

"See that was easy." Ducky teased as he went back to the table to sit down.

Looking down at the little boy in her arms, Abby scoffed, "Yeah, real easy."

***NCIS***

Tony and Ziva worked in companionable silence, dividing the work evenly based on their strengths. Tony organized files, evidence and charges; while Ziva typed up summaries and timelines based on the events. During their time at NCIS, they had completed many reports; none, however, was more important than this one. They owed it to Tim, their coworker, friend and brother to make sure all their ducks were in a row.

While Ziva was typing, she glanced up several times to observe Tony who appeared to be deep in thought, chewing on the end of a pen, staring out the window.

"Tony?"

After calling out his name and not receiving a response, Ziva stood up and positioned herself in his line of vision, "Tony?"

He shook his head, snapping himself out of his reverie, "What?"

Ziva tapped her foot on the ground, "Something is bothering you and I want to know what it is."

Stretching his arms behind his head, Tony chuckled, "I'm fine. Get back to work."

She could tell by his body language that he was not fine. "I will not get back to work until you tell me what you were thinking about."

After several moments of staring at each other, he realized this was a battle he wasn't going to win. Tony looked over at McGee's desk and sighed. "If you must know, I was thinking about how much I miss adult McGee. There, are you happy," he snapped immediately focusing his attention on the floor.

She slapped him on the knee and took a seat on the edge of his desk. "You do not have to be ashamed that you miss McGee. We all do."

Tony scoffed, "Not Gibbs, have you ever seen him this happy?"

"No, I have not, but that does not mean he does not miss McGee either."

He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms, "I just want my best friend back. There's nobody around to tease or argue with who couldn't kill me with a paperclip."

"Jeez Tony, you make it sound as if McGee is dead. He is still here only in a tinier form. And if it makes you feel any better, who is the first person McGee warmed up to besides Gibbs?"

Tony flashed a cocky grin, "Who wouldn't want to be in the capable hands of one Anthony DiNozzo?"

Ziva groaned, "Why do I even bother? My point is, hopefully the regression drug will wear off and Tim will be back to normal. Until then it is our job as his family to remember that his mental competence is still there. Now let us get back to work so that we can go watch the interrogation."

He uncrossed his arms and concentrated on the paperwork in front of him, "You're right, I was just feeling sorry for myself. I couldn't imagine being in Tim's position right now."

Sitting down in her chair, Ziva smiled, "Aww I bet you would have made a cute little baby. Although not as cute as Tim."

***NCIS***

Gibbs took another deep breath as he stood outside the door to interrogation. Unsure of how cooperative Lucy would be, he knew he had better have every trick in his playbook ready. Taking a sip of water, he grasped the handle and flung open the door.

Before he could even step one foot inside, Lucy was already testing his patience.

"It's about time you got here! You call yourselves professionals? I've been waiting here for close to thirty minutes."

Gibbs grit his teeth, he knew this interrogation was going to test his emotions, but didn't think it would start within the first five seconds of him opening the door. Ignoring her comment, he made his way over to the table and sat down.

As he flipped through the different pages in the case folder, Lucy started banging her handcuffs on the table. "You can't ignore me forever, Agent Gibbs. By the way, how's my Timmy doing?"

That did it; Gibbs stood up and leaned across the table leaving inches between their faces, "He. Is. Not. Yours. Stop talking about him like he is."

Lucy expelled a sinister laugh, "I hate to tell you this Agent Gibbs, but he's not your son either."

Gibbs shook his head and sat down, "No, no he's not. At least not biologically; but he's one of my four kids and I don't like it when people mess with my kids!"

"Isn't that sweet, a man who is protective of his agents and considers them his kids because he lost the only little girl he'll ever have."

Vance who was watching from observation became concerned when he heard Lucy's statement. Awaiting Gibbs' reaction, he held one hand on the door handle in case he needed to intervene.

Recognizing it was Lucy's strategy to get under his skin, Gibbs shrugged it off and took a deep breath.

The Director relaxed when he realized Gibbs wasn't going to let his emotions get the best of him and reclaimed his spot in front of the glass.

When she didn't get the reaction she hoped for, Lucy kicked the table leg, sending the file andits contents to the floor.

Gibbs happily whistled as he leaned over and collected the papers off the floor, "No matter what you say to me today, Ms. Grey, it's not going to bother me. I suggest you shut your mouth and answer my questions or else..."

"Or else what, Agent Gibbs? I'm already looking at spending the rest of my life in jail. I have nothing to lose."

"Hmm," Gibbs replied, tapping the pen in his hand on the edge of the table. "That may be true for you, but what about your sister Ella? It appears to me that she has a lot to lose right now."

Lucy gasped, "You leave my sister out of this! She's just an innocent baby!"

"She's definitely a baby; however, she is far from innocent. By the way, how is Ella enjoying her life as a baby?"

Sucking in a long breath, Lucy shrugged her shoulders, "It was her decision to take that pill. Apparently, she was jealous of the devotion I was giving Tim. Doesn't surprise me though, even as a kid she was in constant need of attention."

Gibbs laughed, "You think Ella took that pill because she wanted to be a baby?"

Lucy face turned bright red when she realized there was more to the story. She fanned her face with her hands as sweat formed on her brow, "Well...yeah...there's no...way..." Suddenly it dawned on her that she was wrong. "Wait a minute, are you telling me..." she trailed off as Gibbs held his hand up to silence her.

A huge grin appeared on his face, "I'm telling you that Ella didn't voluntarily take that regression pill. My little guy, Timmy, successfully dosed your sister without either of you knowing!"

Upset she had been outsmarted by a one-year-old, Lucy's mouth hung open in disbelief, "I don't believe you Agent Gibbs, there wasn't an opportunity for him to pull off such a feat."

"Whether you consider it to be true or not, Tim told me what happened and I'll always believe what he says. Besides, he has no reason to lie about it. You're just upset because you've been played!"

Lucy shoulders sagged in defeat as she buried her face in her hands. Score one for Timmy and me Gibbs happily thought to himself, while he waited for Lucy to process the information she had just been told. Finally, after a moment she emerged from behind her hands and took a deep breath. Realizing it was his opportunity to get answers to his questions he spoke, "What were your plans for the regression drug? Last time we talked you told me you were going to be famous."

Tilting her head up, Lucy made eye contact with him and laughed, "Yeah, like I would ever tell you what I planned on doing with the drug."

Realizing he needed to dig a little further; Gibbs started bombarding her with questions, "Did you plan on selling it? Make a little money off it? Perhaps you're just that pathetic; seeing that you couldn't have your own baby you felt the need to ruin other people's lives?"

Becoming increasingly irritated, Lucy stood up, pounded her hands on the table and screamed, "No, no, no!" Her breathing was heavy as she fell back in the chair and sucked in a long breath, "That wasn't my intention." She paused then continued, "At first."

Gibbs prodded, "What was your intention?"

"At first my objective was to help people who either wanted a baby and couldn't have one or give those who had an unhappy childhood a second chance. But then..." Lucy sighed and stopped to look around the room.

Gibbs snapped his fingers to regain her attention, "But what?"

She cocked her head, made eye contact with him and shrugged, "If the price is right and you have nothing to lose, money can make you do some pretty stupid things."

Not buying the remorse it appeared Lucy was trying to convey, Gibbs plowed on, "Who was planning on paying you for the formula?"

Lucy shook her head as her eyes glazed over, "I don't know, a scientist in China was discussing prices with me. He wouldn't give me a money figure until he had proof."

Realizing she had said enough, Lucy suddenly snapped out of her musing, "Your blue eyes are mesmerizing, Agent Gibbs." She looked him up and down, "Nice to see you in casual clothing too. You certainly can be classified as a hot dad."

Running a hand down his face, Gibbs chose to ignore her comment and continue, "What kind of proof did he want?"

Chuckling, Lucy licked and puckered her lips, "You don't want to hear what I have to say. I can make you a very happy man, Agent Gibbs." She pointed at the cameras in the corner of the room, "Disconnect those and I'll give you seven minutes in heaven."

Gibbs scoffed, "I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole, lady. I'm only going to ask once more, what kind of proof did he want?"

Pulling her arms up in front of her chest, Lucy laughed deliriously, "Why should I tell you?"

Knowing he had to pull out the big guns if he wanted answers, Gibbs simply uttered one word, "Ella."

Lucy's eyes got as big as saucers and she sat up straight, "What about Ella? You're too soft, you would never hurt a baby."

Raising an eyebrow, Gibbs replied, "Oh, no, not me but there are people in prison who deserve to take care of your sister rather than you."

"You're bluffing," Lucy responded hesitantly.

Gibbs stood up and knocked on the glass; motioning with a flick of his head to the other room, he spoke, "Try me. All it takes is one phone call from the director and you and your sister will never see each other again. I don't think you want that."

Her eyes darted back and forth between the pane of glass and the stone cold look on Gibbs' face. Finally, after a minute of contemplation she sagged down on the table, resting her chin on her arms, "Fine, what do you want to know?"

Reclaiming his seat, Gibbs flipped through the various papers in the file, "I'm glad we're on the same page now, you still didn't answer my question, what kind of proof did the buyer want?"

Lucy fidgeted in her seat; eventually looking up to meet Gibbs' stare, "Not only did he want proof the drug actually worked, but he also wanted me to do a study based on the psychological effects of the drug. If it was going to be used to give people a chance at a second childhood or for people who wanted to have kids and never got the opportunity, he wanted to make sure it was marketable."

Gibbs put his hand in front of his mouth to muffle a chuckle, "Why would people want to voluntarily be regressed? Furthermore, why wouldn't people who want to be parents just adopt a baby? You actually thought there would be a market for this?"

"Laugh all you want Agent Gibbs, but it worked on you. Believe it or not there are plenty of people who would like to start over and my plan was to match those individuals with people who wanted kids."

Suddenly somber, Gibbs was quiet as he let her words sink in. Putting the pieces together in his mind, he pulled out the computer logs that showed the date and time in which the NCIS human resources servers had been hacked into. He glanced down at the log; "You were using me and my team as test subjects?"

Lucy shrugged, "I read an article in the Navy newsletter not too long ago regarding your team's accolades. Of course I had heard the rumors about you and how you would stop at nothing to bring criminals to justice." She stifled a nervous giggle; "I became enthralled with you and your team so I decided to do a little digging. At first it was just to learn more about you, but when I read you lost your wife and daughter and that Agent McGee was estranged from his strict Navy Admiral father I decided you would be the perfect test subjects."

Swallowing the lump is his throat, Gibbs urged her to continue, "If that was your plan all along then why did you feel the need to kidnap Tim?"

Flopping back in the chair, Lucy crossed her arms, "The drug wasn't powerful enough. I had already chosen whom I wanted to keep as my babies along with giving Agent McGee a dose. My strategy was to keep tabs on the two of you and document my findings to send to the scientist. Obviously, my plans changed when the drug wore off and one of my subjects escaped. The night you arrested me and I met Agent McGee in person, I knew he needed to be my little boy. I didn't want anyone else to have the opportunity to love and care for him. The poor guy had a less than stellar childhood and I wanted to fix that."

Digesting all the information set forth in front of him, Gibbs ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "Let me get this straight, in order to show the buyer the psychological effects this drug could have on potential customers you took it upon yourself to target two Federal agents?"

Allowing a small chuckle to escape her mouth, Lucy nodded, "You two were the perfect subjects, I knew there was going to be no way the buyer would turn me down following my documentations. You lost your daughter when she was young and all you wanted was to be a dad again. Agent McGee grew up in a household where he barely saw his father, leaving him desperate for the love and adoration that one gets from a strong paternal figure. It was the perfect experiment for me and allowed you each what you've been longing for."

Upon hearing Lucy's reasoning, Gibbs' mouth suddenly became dry. He took a large gulp of water as he studied the woman in front of him. "Are you that delusional that you believed you would actually get away with this?"

Lucy tutted, "Agent Gibbs you can question my reasoning all you want, but I believe you owe me a thank you for allowing you an opportunity to be a father again."

Gibbs straightened up the paperwork, closed the file and stood up, "You really are "cwazy", as Tim would say, if you think I'm going to thank you for putting him through hell. Enjoy your life in prison."

As he started walking to the door, Lucy called out to him, "Agent Gibbs, if you can look me in the eye and tell me you haven't enjoyed being a father again then I'll believe you. However, considering the few times I've observed you with Tim, I think it's going to be awful hard for you to do that."

After opening the door, Gibbs turned around, looked her in the eye, and smirked, "You should probably apologize to Ella when you return and enjoy the last few days you'll have together."

"Wait! What's that suppose to mean? I cooperated, you can't separate us..." Lucy shrieked as Gibbs closed the door and sagged against it. While he stood there composing himself, a loud noise caught his attention. When he looked up, Tony and Ziva had rounded the corner in a full on sprint, desperate to catch the remainder of the interrogation. When they looked up and saw Gibbs standing outside the door they came to a screeching halt. Both were winded as they casually walked the rest of the way.

"Oh, hey, Boss." Tony managed to squeak out between breaths.

"You are finished already?" Ziva chimed in as she intently studied Gibbs' face and body language. Gibbs ran his hand over his face and handed Tony the file, "Yep, you can tell the guards Grey is ready to be transferred back to jail."

Tony and Ziva exchanged worried glances as Gibbs walked away. Before he rounded the corner, he turned around, "I'm assuming your reports are finished and on my desk?" With an affirmative nod from each agent, Gibbs continued his walk to the bullpen. As soon as he was out of ear shot, Ziva turned to Tony, "Do you think he is alright?"

Not realizing the door to observation had opened behind them; Vance spoke causing the pair to jump before they turned around to face him. "Gibbs will be fine, probably one of the toughest interrogation's he's ever had to do. I suggest after Ms. Grey is taken care of you meet him back in the bullpen."

As they watched Vance walk away, Tony pulled out his phone to call for prison transport. Ziva paced back and forth, while she waited for him to get off the phone. When he hung up, she bombarded him, "What do you think Vance meant when he said that was one of the toughest interrogations Gibbs has ever done?"

"Calm down my little ninja, I'm not sure. But that's the beauty of modern technology, it's all recorded."

He slinked into observation and casually looked around the recording gear as the tech shut down the equipment.

"Can I help you with something?" The tech asked as Tony casually rifled through the different stacks of DVD's.

"Yeah, I'm looking for the recording of the interrogation that just took place."

Flicking the switch on the last piece of gear, the tech looked over his shoulder and laughed as he started to leave, "Director Vance was right, it took you less than five minutes to come looking for it. You won't find it anywhere, he took it with him."

A look of bewilderment appeared on Tony's face as he slumped against the glass pane and crossed his arms, "That's unfair, how are we supposed to know what happened?"

Ziva scuffed her foot along the carpet, "Perhaps one day we will find out, until then I am okay with not knowing."

"Well I'm not," Tony whined as he followed Ziva out the door and back to the bullpen.

***NCIS***

Abby glanced up from her phone when she felt Tim begin to stir in her lap. She smiled as the toddler stretched his tiny arms above his head and gradually opened his eyes. She held her breath as he looked around the room with a panicked expression on his face. When he realized Gibbs was nowhere to be found his bottom lip formed a pout and tears gathered in his eyes. "Whewre muh dada?"

"Shh shh little one," Abby attempted to soothe him by gently running her fingers through his hair. "Remember he had an interrogation to do, but he should be finished shortly. Ducky and I are going to take good care of you until he's done, okay?"

"Kay" Tim mumbled as he stuck his thumb in his mouth and snuggled closer to her.

The commotion caught Ducky's attention; he got up from the conference table and joined the pair at the couch. He put a hand on Tim's forehead, checking for a fever. "Did you have a nice sleep lad? You feel a bit warm, but not too bad, nice to see the Tylenol finally doing its job. Would you like something to drink?"

"Ba ba" Tim responded, vigorously nodding his head.

"Abigail, why don't you sit him up and I'll go get the bottle."

Hitching the toddler up higher in her arms, she kissed him on the forehead and waited for Ducky to bring the bottle over.

"Here you go, lil' fella. Abigail is going to take good care of you." Ducky assured him as he handed the bottle to her and went back to reading his book.

Hardly able to contain her excitement, she lifted the bottle to his lips and watched hesitantly as he removed his thumb and opened his mouth. Once Tim started sucking actively, she pulled him closer, enjoying his baby smell and relished in the feeling of finally being able to bond with him since his regression.

Ducky looked over from his seat at the conference table and chuckled. Both were snuggled close together with their eyes closed, enjoying the comfort and warmth of one another.

Back down in the bullpen, Gibbs and Vance scrutinized every inch of Tony and Ziva's reports. They wanted to be certain there were no loopholes or mistakes that would allow any of their three suspects to go free. Gibbs was attempting to concentrate, but his mind kept wandering back to the little boy upstairs and all the points Lucy had made. Vance sat at McGee's desk, carefully observing him, determined to interfere if needed. Although he knew some of what Lucy said was true, he wasn't going to push Gibbs into talking about it unless he wanted to. He learned a long time ago that if Gibbs had a concern he would deal with it in his own time and way. Following several corrections and a few rewrites, they both felt comfortable with the reports being sent over to the district attorney.

Gibbs stood up from his desk, walked over to the window and pulled out his phone. Hitting the speed dial for Ducky he watched the snow that continued to fall as he waited for the doctor to answer.

On the third ring, a cheerful voice picked up, "Hello there, Jethro. What can I help you with?"

Letting out a long sigh, Gibbs spoke, "How's my boy doing?"

Hearing the uncertainty in his friend's voice, Ducky quickly realized this conversation wasn't only about Gibbs calling to check on Tim. "He's doing fine. Woke up about fifteen minutes ago and now Abby is feeding him a bottle. He's content for the moment, are you done with the interrogation?"

"Yeah, it's over with. I was wondering if you had a few minutes to talk."

Ducky was used to Gibbs, their functional mute, only wanting to chat when something was really bothering him. "I would be delighted to my dear boy, how about we meet down in autopsy? Mr. Palmer is still at home and it will give us some privacy."

"Sounds good, Duck. Are you sure Tim will be okay if I'm gone a little while longer?"

Ducky took a moment to look over at Tim and Abby. The toddler still had a half a bottle to finish and appeared to be comfortable with the Goth. "Jethro, he's fine. I'll meet you downstairs soon."

Relieved that Tim was finally relaxed around Abby, Gibbs replied, "All right I'll be waiting."

He shut his phone and headed for the elevator unaware of the concerned looks coming from the rest of his team.

Ducky got up from his seat and walked over to the couch, "Gibbs is done with the interrogation, but needs to talk. I'm going to meet him but we shouldn't be too long."

Abby nodded as Tim opened his eyes and gave a small smirk around the nipple that was invading his mouth. Ducky squeezed his leg; "I'll bring your daddy with me when I come back, okay?"

***NCIS***

Gibbs was already pacing back and forth down in autopsy by the time Ducky arrived. The familiar whoosh of the doors caught Gibbs' attention and he turned around to face the doctor. Judging by the look on the younger man's face, Ducky could tell this wasn't going to be an easy conversation. He sat down at his desk, pulled out another chair and signaled for Gibbs to sit down.

He wasn't surprised when Gibbs waved him off, "No, thanks I would rather stand."

"You want to tell me what this is all about, Jethro?"

Gibbs was quiet for a moment, his gaze cast on the floor. Slowly he lifted his head, "Do you think I'm selfish, Duck?"

Ducky chuckled; out of all the questions he was anticipating this wasn't the first one. "No, my dear boy, I do not. You are one of the most selfless people I know. Where is this coming from?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Gibbs walked over to the desk, "I was just thinking about what Lucy Grey said during her interrogation. Is it wrong of me to not want Tim to change back into an adult?"

Sighing, Ducky tapped the seat next to him and waited till the younger man sat down. "I'm not going to lie to you, Jethro. I had a feeling this topic would be brought up. I wouldn't call it selfishness; I would refer to it as indecision.

"Sorry Duck, I'm not following you."

"Let me ask you a question, is it safe to say that you haven't been truly happy since the deaths of Shannon and Kelly?"

Gibbs laughed, "I think that's an understatement. Having married several times to try and replace what I lost and those relationships ending in divorce, I think it's safe to say yes. But what does that have to do with Tim?"

"Oh my dear boy, don't you get it?" Ducky patted his knee, "Baby Tim has finally restored some happiness in your life. You're afraid that if he does turn back into an adult you'll go back to feeling how you did before. On one hand, your heart is praying you get to raise Tim as your own child. On the other hand, your brain is telling you it's selfish to wish that upon him. The entire time I've known you, I've never seen you this happy. Wanting to be happy is not a bad thing, Jethro."

"Well how do I fix it?"

Ducky sighed, "Unfortunately my friend that's not an easy question to answer. I think you have to take it one day at a time; be grateful for the time you've spent with Timothy but also understand if he changes back to an adult you will still hold those memories close."

After a few moments of contemplation, Gibbs stood up and started pacing again.

"Something else on your mind?" Ducky questioned as he watched Gibbs pace.

Running a hand through his hair, Gibbs responded, "I'm just worried about how our relationship will change if he returns to being an adult."

Standing up, Ducky walked over and stood in front of him, using his pointer finger he jabbed Gibbs in the chest. "If you remember anything from our conversation, remember this, "You control your own happiness, Jethro. I believe your relationship will be stronger; more powerful, but above all, the way it was meant to be.

Taking a deep breath along with an affirmative nod, Gibbs smiled; "Thanks for the chat, Duck."

Ducky patted his arm, "Of course, you know my door is always open if you need to talk or need me to smack some sense into you."

Gibbs laughed, "I'll remember that. Let's go get Tim, I've been away from him for too long."

***NCIS***

When they entered Vance's office, the entire team was crowded around the conference table. Tim was sitting on the table in front of Tony with Hero clutched tightly against his chest.

"Dada!" Tim squealed, extending his arms out to be picked up.

Gibbs couldn't get the toddler in his arms quick enough. His heart melted when Tim wrapped his arms around his neck, nuzzled against it and whispered, "Me mish u bery, bery much. Me weady to go to da housh." Gibbs planted a kiss on the youngster's temple, "I missed you too, sweetie. We're going to get going very soon, do you want to say bye and thank you to everybody?"

He felt Tim nod against his neck, but was surprised when he didn't turn to face the rest of the team. Putting his lips up to Tim's ear, he spoke softly, "Something wrong buddy?" Another nod had Gibbs concerned, "What is it? You have to tell daddy so I can fix it." Feeling the heat radiating off the little guy's face, Gibbs was unsure if it was his temperature or if he was blushing. He rubbed his hand up and down Tim's back soothingly hoping he would feel comfortable to tell him what was wrong. Finally, Tim mumbled "diapee," before burying his face against Gibbs' neck once again. Looking over at the team gathered around the conference table he gave them a desperate look and motioned for the door. Understanding the two needed a few minutes of privacy; the team stood up and headed for the door. Once he heard the door close, Tim relaxed and pulled away from Gibbs.

After a kiss to the forehead, Gibbs grabbed the changing mat out of the diaper bag and laid the toddler down. Tim shivered when Gibbs removed his pants followed by the sodden diaper. "I hope you haven't been sitting in this for too long, it's not going to help your rash." Immediately inserting his thumb in his mouth, Tim closed his eyes and waited for Gibbs to finish. Once he was done, Gibbs held brushed Tim's hair to the side and placed his hand on his forehead. "You're burning up again, kiddo. How does your stomach feel?"

"S' kay," he responded as Gibbs brushed his hand down the toddler's cheek.

"I think it's time we get you home. We'll go say bye to everyone and take off."

Packing away the supplies, Gibbs grabbed Hero off the table and gave it to the youngster, "Can't forget him, can we?"

Tim shook his head as the older man gathered him in his arms and headed for the door. The team was waiting for them on the catwalk to say their goodbyes. Tony was the first to approach them, holding his hand up for a high five. Then he ran the back of his hand down Tim's cheek, "It looks like the fever is back, make sure Gibbs takes good care of you," he joked as Tim reached out and wrapped his arms around Tony's neck. "Tank u Toey, I lube u."

"Right back at you, kiddo," he replied as he moved back to allow the others a chance.

Ducky stepped up next and was surprised when the toddler threw his arms around his neck and squeezed tight. "Ucky tanks fir takin weally good cawre of me. I lube u."

Stepping back, Ducky grabbed Tim's leg and squeezed, "Timothy, the pleasure was all mine. You are the most delightful patient I've ever had."

Ziva moved in as Ducky stepped away and welcomed the kiss to her cheek. Nobody was surprised when Tim ran his fingers through her hair before hugging her. "Zeba, tanks fir eberyting. I lube u mor den I lube Toey." Everyone laughed as she grabbed his hand and squeezed it, "How could you not, right Timmy?"

Tim grinned and nodded as Abby quietly made her way over. She poked him in the belly; "You are just too darn cute for your own good."

Abby was shocked when Tim motioned for her to step closer and wrapped his arms around her neck. He laid his head in the crook of her neck and whispered, "Tanks fir takin cawre of me todah. Fir makin me comfy. I weally lube u to Abs."

Their embrace lasted longer than Gibbs expected before Tim pulled away and Abby planted a giant kiss on his forehead. She wiped away a stray tear, "We all love you, Tim. We're going to be here for you no matter what because we're family and we take care of each other."

Knowing they had a long drive home, Gibbs was anxious to get on the road. Tim blew kisses to everyone as Gibbs stepped in the elevator and punched the number for the parking garage. As the elevator started descending, Tim laid his head down on Gibbs shoulder. When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Tim lifted Hero up and gave him a kiss. "Gwad I nam'ed muh doggie afta u dada, cuz u muh hewo an' I lubes u mostest"

Gibbs felt his breathing hitch and his eyes start to well up, "I love you the most too. Now let's go home."