Working with Gibbs (a NCIS story)

Chapter 48 - Finally...

The team worked feverishly to find the missing child and even called in Fornell and the rest of the FBI.  For personal ties to the case, Gibbs and Grace took themselves off the case to be home with their daughter.  They both told each other, and themselves, that their son would be found.  Several days later, Gibbs got a call.
"Yeah, Gibbs...we're on our way" he said and hung up.
"Did they find him?" Grace asked.
"Yeah, they found him, let's go."
-HQ, about 5 minutes later-
"Where is he?" Grace asked as soon as they got off the elevator, Kenzie in her arms.  In walked Tony, holding the little boy in his arms.  He had a little cartoon bandaid on his forehead, but other than that he was fine.  Gibbs took him from Tony and just held him. 
"What else did you find?" Grace asked, waiting her turn to hold their son. 
"This was on the table where we found him."
'You found him, very well, but this still isn't over' she recognized the handwriting almost immediately. 
"They better be happy it wasn't us that found AJ.  They'd both be dead." She finally said.  "Ok, Kenzie, you go to uncle Tim, okay?" She said, handing her off to the young agent before going over to see her son.  "Okay, my turn.  Gimme" she took her son into her arms.  "Hey, buddy. You okay?" He nodded in reply. 
"Hey, boss? We've got a video call coming through" McGee said. 
"Put it up" both Gibbs and Grace said at the same time. 
"Hello, agent Gibbs"
"Alejandro...to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I see you got your son safe and sound.  It's wonderful when families are back together...of course I wouldn't know..."
"That's it.  When and where, Mr. Rivera?" Grace said, thoroughly done with this whole mess.
"Take a listen, agents...you may just find the answers you're looking for..." then the call ended. 
-about a day later-
Since they got that call, the team had been working feverishly to find him, but no luck.  Gibbs and Grace decided to not take any chances and brought the kids to work again.  When they went home that afternoon, they saw the front door was jimmied open.
"Get behind me" Gibbs said, taking his gun out of the holster.  Grace took the kids, holding to one in each arm.  They went in the door and saw the last person they ever expected to.
"Well, look at what we have here, the entire Gibbs family, must be my lucky day."
"Depends on how you look at it, Rivera." Gibbs replied.  Grace held both kids close to her, and felt AJ get tense in her arms - he clearly remembered the man.
"Come on, kids...lets let the two adults talk" she said and started to walk away.
"I must insist you stay." A new voice said from the kitchen.  She turned and saw none other than Paloma standing there. 
"You..."
"Leave them out of this, your grudge is with me" Gibbs said. 
"Actually, it is with all of you, now"
"Please, at least let me set the kids down..." Grace said, easing both children down into their playpen.  As she stood back up, she put her hand on her gun, but didn't pull it out of the holster just yet. 
"I guess we should spare the children...maybe have them go through the same thing we did, except this time it'll be both of their parents" Alejandro said as both he and his sister got ready to fire, but they never got the chance - Gibbs and Grace shot first, and fatally.  There was silence for a few seconds, then two cries of children.  Gibbs and Grace turned and both picked up a child and began to console them. 
"It's finally over..." Grace said, relieved that they didn't have to worry anymore.
"Yeah...it is" Gibbs replied, turning to face her.  She took a step closer to him.  They placed the kids back in the playpen and watched as they fell asleep after a few moments.  "They're finally together again..."
"Yeah...our family is back together..." she said quietly.  They turned to face each other again.  He pulled her close to him. 
"I love you..." he whispered, and she smiled.
"I love you too" she replied before he kissed her.  In that moment, the only thought they both had was that things were finally getting back to a sense of normal.