Jimmy walked down the stairs and found Breena sitting at the kitchen table. She was reading the Washington Post on her tablet and sipping a cup of coffee. When she saw him she set her things down, got up, and got him a cup of coffee. He shrugged shyly and sat down across from his wife of over twenty years. The past twenty years had, had their ups and downs. The biggest down period was sixteen years ago. When their eldest child Victoria Elizabeth was diagnosed with leukemia. Breena fell into a deep depression after learning that her daughter had cancer and it nearly destroyed the Palmer's marriage. But Jimmy refused to give up on either of his girls and eventually Lizzie went into remission and Breena felt strong enough to come back home.

"Donny! Did you take my charger?!"

"No! Why would I take your stupid charger!"

"I guess the boys are up." Breena sighed.

"Oh yeah" Jimmy agreed.

"Mom tell Donny to stop being a thief!" Jude barked coming down the stairs.

"No! Tell Jude to stop being a lying homo!" Donny snapped.

"Yes I am a Homo Sapian! Meanwhile you are barely a homo Erectus!" Jude cried.

"You would know." Donny retorted.

"Boys be nice to each other." Breena warned.

"You two used to be best friends." Jimmy added.

"Yeah before mom got pregnant with the miracle baby and we were forced to share a bedroom. Then I realized just how annoying and thieving this kid is." Jude ranted.

"And lo Jude wasn't the youngest Palmer anymore and his whole life fell apart." Tori cried coming down the stairs.

"Yeah pretty much." Donny agreed.

A lot had changed in the Palmer's life in the sixteen years since Victoria went into remission. Thankfully the oldest Palmer child had remained cancer free. Hitting the five year mark just before her ninth birthday. Breena was unwell the day of Lizzie's cancer free party but rejoined the family the Monday after. Announcing much to Lizzie's dismay that she would be getting two baby brothers. After the cancer and near divorce ordeal things remained peaceful for the Palmer family. Aside from Ducky announcing his retirement from NCIS three months after the announcement of Lizzie's remission. Making Jimmy officially the head Medical Examiner things were quiet. When Lizzie was seven there were four Elizabeths in her class. An Elizabeth, a Liz, a Beth, and another Lizzie. Having always hated the name Victoria, feeling that it was an old lady name. She decided that she liked the name Tori and had been called that ever since.

OK maybe things were perfect for the Palmer family. Because two weeks after Breena came back, Ed was arrested for conspiring to kidnap Lizzie. He served eighteen months in prison with a five year probation and mandatory counseling. He was also barred from seeing any of his grandchildren without strict supervision until they reached eighteen years of age.

In that time the Palmer family had grown from three to six. Joining Victoria Elizabeth was Donald Anthony the adoptive son who was now fourteen and Jude Michael who was the Palmer's second natural child. He had just celebrated his thirteenth birthday. The newest Palmer had only been on the planet a very short two and a half months and was a very much welcome daughter Angela Joy Christine Palmer. The newest Palmer had three names because each Jimmy and Breena gave each child an opportunity to name their new sister. Similar to how Tori had named Donny.

Today was a special day for the Palmer family. Today was not only the day that Tori graduated high school. As co Valid Victorian no less.

"I cannot believe you are graduating!" Jimmy cried embracing his oldest daughter.

"I cannot believe I am Valid Victorian. Dr. Brown said that I would probably be learning disabled. I guess I was slow but I am a lot better off than I thought." Tori replied.

"I am so glad that you beat the cancer and have been healthy for sixteen years." Breena replied.

"So I have to be at the school by five but you guys don't have to be there until six thirty." Tori explained.

"OK we will drop Angie off at the sitter's place at six and that should get us to the school just in time for the ceremony." Jimmy replied.

"Angie won't be there but she is my favorite sibling!" Tori cried.

"Sorry but we can't risk taking her around that many people without any of her shots and besides what I she started screaming? I would hate for any of us to miss the ceremony." Breena explained.

"At least the monsters will be there." Tori reluctantly replied.

"You know that you love your brothers." Jimmy commented.

"I guess so." Tori sighed.

"Now be honest." Breena replied.

"I guess they aren't as bad as cancer." Tori admitted.

"What?" Breena asked.

"When I told Tori that Jude was a boy too. She told me that she would rather have cancer than two brothers." Jimmy explained.

"Tori!" Breena warned.

"I was four and now I would rather have nine brothers than cancer." Tori replied.

"OK but there will be no more Palmer babies." Breena reminded.

"You said that after Jude." Tori reminded.

"Well I didn't have to have a hysterectomy after Jude was born." Breena reminded.

"I know I just like pointing it out because it drives Jude crazy." Tori explained.

"Anyway we may be a little late but the ceremony starts at seven, right?" Jimmy asked getting back on track.

"Seven or seven fifteen depending on how long it takes to get lined up." Tori replied.

"Great" Breena replied.

"So who is Angie staying with if everybody is going to be at the ceremony?" Tori asked.

"The Pitt's" Jimmy replied.

"Ziva and Brad won't be at the ceremony?" Tori asked.

"I'm afraid not." Breena replied.

"Why not?" Tori asked.

"Because Ziva is seven months pregnant and can't sit on bleachers that long." Jimmy replied.

"I guess that is a good reason but I want to at least say hi." Tori replied.

"We can stop by on the way to the cemetery." Breena offered.

"Why not after?" Tori asked.

"Because you need to go to Ducky's grave in your cap and gown. He would be so proud of you." Jimmy explained.

The loss of Dr. Donald Mallard was the tragedy of the Palmer's life. Even though he died at ninety-two and a half years old and it was peaceful death in his sleep. Jimmy lost his father and the kids lost their only grandfather. Only Tori had met Ed and she only barely remembered him.

The lives of the rest of the NCIS family were similar to that of the Palmer's peaceful and boring but ever changing. McGee and Delilah married six months after Tori's remission. They had one natural child a son John Anthony McGee and a pair of adopted twins Donald Jethro and Timothy Michael McGee.

Abby married a man named Dustin about five years after Tori was cured. She had one child a son named Anthony Sheppard Thomas.

Leon Vance surprised everybody by marrying his nanny and later adopting an orphan from Zimbabwe Issac Anthony Vance.

Gibbs never remarried or even really dated but he did thrive as a grandfather to his many grandchildren, several of whom shared the name of the son he had lost and acting as a great uncle to the now four Palmer children.

Ziva shifted uncomfortably on the couch. She didn't remember being that uncomfortable during her first pregnancy. Maybe it was because she was older. She had been thirty-two when she was pregnant with Antonia but was forty eight years old with this baby. Her pregnancy was a shock even to her. She had heard of people getting pregnant at this age but never thought it would happen to her. Of course she also never thought she would fall in love again. After Tony lost his battle to cancer. She became depressed and withdrawn. Only hanging on because of her daughter. A beautiful girl who looked just like her father. A fact that simultaneously made her smile and cry. Holding her daughter she vowed to only love her father and for twelve years that was the case. Than one day Antonia had a severe asthma attack on the soccer field. She had never had an attack before. So she had no inhaler or supplies to treat her symptoms. When her coach asked if a doctor was around. A man raced to the field from off the street announcing that the was a pulmonologist and knew exactly what to do. He saved Antonia's life and while Ziva watched him in action on the field. She realized that he was Dr. Brad Pitt. The man who had saved Tony when he had the plague. While waiting for news on Antonia at the hospital, Ziva and him start talking. Brad revealed that his fiancee had broken off the engagement not long after Tony died. Apparently he too had fallen into a depression over his friend and threw himself into trying to save others. Even though Tony's death was not his fault. They got coffee and one year later they were married. Children were never in the picture for them. Ziva already had Antonia and Brad loved her as if she was his own. Besides they were too old to have babies. So when seven months ago a routine eye exam led to Ziva discovering that she was pregnant. It was a huge but welcome and pleasant surprise for the Pitt family.

"Hey mom!" Antonia cried.

"How are you feeling baby girl?" Ziva asked.

"Great, don't forget I am going to graduation tonight. Freshman don't have to play at the ceremony because of the size of the sophomores and juniors but Jude Palmer will be there and well I just have to see him." Antonia explained.

"I wish I could see Tori graduate but this couch is uncomfortable. I cannot imagine how horrible a hard bleacher would be." Ziva explained/

"It's fine. Jimmy said I could ride with them. They are bringing the Tori over before the ceremony and I will ride with them." Antonia explained.

"And how will you get home?" Ziva asked.

"Jess's sister said she would drive me." Antonia replied.

"OK well be home by eleven, don't drink anything alcoholic and make sure to take your medicine." Ziva instructed.

"I will and I will call when I get there and before I leave." Antonia assured.

"That's my girl." Ziva replied.

FIN

A/N: Well that's it. I promised a happy ending and I hope it was good enough. New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.