Disclaimer : I own nothing, but the typos.

Warnings : Rated T for language and violence.

Author's Note : Thanks to everyone who has read, favorited and followed. And extra thanks to everyone who left a review. I love reading your thoughts.

And momcat - I echo a lot of your thoughts about the premiere. I kept waiting for Tony to pop up, but he never did and it broke my heart a bit since he was such a presence on the show. Hence, this story. I think Gibbs alone in the bullpen seemed fitting for the character. He tends to be very solitary, so I could imagine him wanting some peace and quiet after being stuck with Tim for 2 months. It just made me think of Ziva being stuck with Tim in the elevator overnight in Power Down. Gibbs probably needed a breath.

This is the last chapter. I hope it wraps up everything to a satisfactory end.

As always, thanks again for taking the ride with me.

-oooooooo-ooooooooo-ooooooooo-

The first package arrives several weeks after Tony returns home.

On the day it comes, Tony is slogging down the humid hallway to his third-floor walk-up after a long day at work. Unfortunately, he is still learning that quintessential Parisian charm does not include modern conveniences like air conditioning or elevators. Tali hangs back, tired from the stairs and the jaunt from the Metro. Her right fist is pressed against her eyes, her hair sweat slicked against her head.

"Abba," she whines.

Glancing over his shoulder, Tony half-smiles. He feels as tired as she looks. He signs, What is it, my love?

"Hot," she says. "Hot, Abba." Then she signs, Make it stop.

"I wish I could," he says. "We're in the middle of a heatwave. Do you know what that is?"

She stares up with those questioning eyes. His heart clenches at the glimpse of her mother, a rare sight these days. As the time passes, she is starting to look more like him, act more like him, be more like him. It makes his heart ache for the traces of Ziva he loses every day. Soon, there will be nothing left.

"Hot," she repeats.

Realizing she still doesn't understand, he signs: It will be cold soon.

She puts her hands on her hips before signing: "When?"

I don't know. He sighs laboriously. Can we go home now?

She moves down the hallway like she is being pulled by invisible strings. She huffs and puffs the entire way before stopping beside him like that sapped the last of her energy. He closes his eyes for a moment, trying to find his Zen. If two-year-old Tali is this melodramatic, he can't wait for the dreaded teenage drama queen years.

Tali jerks on his pant leg. When Tony opens his eyes, he finds her inspecting something on the welcome mat. She pokes at the small, brown package like it's a bomb. Tali grins wickedly as she stoops to lift it. As she dances around, Tony tries to peek at the label. He takes it from her.

From Saba? More Kraft? she signs before saying, "Yum. Yum."

From where he stands, it is too tiny to contain the regular packages of Hawaiian Punch and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Senior sends bimonthly. Tony takes the box from her, turning it over to study the handwriting. A familiar careful, militaristic style addresses the package to Tali DiNozzo. When he realizes who sent it, Tony's heart drops into his stomach.

"It's from Agent…" Too formal. "…uh, Uncle…" Too informal. "It's from Gibbs." That's about the only thing to sound right. "Just Gibbs."

At the sound of his name, Tali's face turns serious. She nods at the recognition of the man who is merely a figure in bedtime stories that Tony tells about her mother and her team…her family. Their family. Tony hands Tali the box so he can unlock the door. She clutches it protectively to her chest.

Once they're inside, Tony drops the bag of groceries by the front door. An errant orange races down the hallway, but Tali kicks it into the living room like a soccer ball. She beats Tony to the kitchen. Then, she stands on tip-toe to slide the package on the counter before scrambling on a barstool. Tony grabs a knife to combat the layers of packing tape.

"Present, present, present," Tali sings over and over.

"I bet it's something special," Tony says, egging her on.

That makes her squeal. As he cuts into the package, his mind whirs as to what it could be. Turning down Gibbs' job offer on that boat was their last contact, their last communication. Tony had expected a phone call, maybe a letter. Hell, even an e-mail. But as the days stretched into weeks and finally a month, nothing ever came. According to Tim, Gibbs was acting "more Gibbs-like than normal" and recently returned to NCIS due to the sleeping sickness he contracted in Paraguay. Since it was his only update, Tony had to be satisfied with what he got. Nothing.

Underneath the brown paper and tape cocoon, Tony uncovers a red, velvet jewelry box. Tali leans onto his hands, nearly toppling the bar stool. She drawls out an ohh. Two notes are nestled beneath the box.

Tony picks up the one addressed to Tali. It reads, Saved these for someone special to me, but she couldn't use them. They were my mother's. Treat them kindly.

He moves onto the one written to him. Tony - Gave Tim my father's watch. Seemed right. Getting yours through customs right now. Good work in Paraguay. – Gibbs.

Tony just stares at the paper, unable to move. Tali shoves it away, leans into his face.

"Good present?" she asks.

Tony half-nods. "I think it'll be a great present."

When he opens the jewelry box, he finds a necklace of large, tear-drop shaped diamond on slight gold chain. Attached to the backing are matching diamonds stud earrings. Tony gasps.

"That's beautiful," he whispers. "What do you think, love? Isn't that a great present?"

Tali scrutinizes it before shaking her head. Bad, she signs. Where is the toy?

Chuckling, Tony nuzzles his face into her hair. "You'll like it someday. I just hope it isn't too soon."

She pulls him into a tight hug before signing for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Rolling his eyes and silently cursing his father, Tony reheats last night's leftovers. They fall into their usual night routine of eating macaroni and cheese while watching a classic Disney Movie—Snow White, tonight.

And after Tali is asleep in her bed, Tony takes Gibbs' jewelry into his bedroom. He places it in the box where he stores Tali's family heirlooms. Those bits and pieces of the David family to survive the fire with her. Pieces of his own childhood like his mother's silver hairbrush and her wedding ring. Inconsequential things that he hopes will mean something to Tali someday. He puts Gibbs' jewelry on the very top, a place of honor.

Despite everything they have been through, Gibbs will always be a part of their family.

-oooooooo-ooooooooo-ooooooooo-

The worst heatwave of the century continues to Paris for the rest of July. Each humid, sweat-soaked day bleeds into a week and then, another month before Tony forgets all about Gibbs' promise about an arriving gift. Tony falls back into his normal routine with surprising ease. No one at Interpol even asks about his trip, but based on their whispers and side-eyes, everyone knows exactly what happened.

By day, he is in the classroom with his newest group, a bunch of bumbling recruits who are more Inspector Clouseau than Magnum, P.I. By night, he carefully defuses Tali's temper tantrums with bomb-squad precision. In between all of it, he manages to in squeezes as many e-mails, phone calls, and Skype chats with Tim, Abby, Ellie, Ducky, Jimmy—and hell, even his new friend, Nick—as he can.

The one contact he wants—no, he needs more than his next breath—never comes. Tony keeps busy enough to pretend he doesn't notice.

Shortly after the heat breaks in August, a small package turns up by his door. It is a thin cylinder about the length of his forearm. The stamps and signatures covering the package partially obscure an address label written in Gibbs' handwriting. After Tali settles down for another viewing of Frozen, Tony cuts through the packaging to slide out the contents. A piece of metal clinks on the counter.

It is a dayscope to an USMC M40-A1.

Tony picks it up, turning it over in his hands. He hasn't seen it since the team was headed back from Somalia. After Gibbs turned up to save the team. Tony peers through it at Tali's drawings of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe on the refrigerator. They look sinister through the sniper scope.

Tony turns back to the tissue paper and the box for a note. There isn't one.

Why did Gibbs send this to me?

As it turns out, Tony doesn't have to wonder for very long. Pieces of the M40 turns up on Tony's doorstep like a dismembered body after a mob hit. First, the bipod. Then, the action followed shortly by sling. When the barrel arrives, Tony orders a gun locker.

By the end of the August, Tony has all the pieces to a working sniper rifle. He takes a day off from work to clean it even though the metal gleams in the sunlight. Then, he assembles it before locking it away. He turns the locker, hand splayed against the door. He sighs heavily.

"I don't understand, Boss."

-oooooooo-ooooooooo-ooooooooo-

On a Saturday just after Labor Day, Tony takes his usual weekend excursion to the Jardin de Tuileries with Tali and his father. Whomever told him April in Paris was perfection must've never visited on a fall day like this. The morning sun hangs high and bright in a sky full of white, wispy clouds. A slight breeze rustles the trees, making their full leaves dance and sway. The fountain in the center of the park is filled, just like every other day, with tiny, toy sailboats. Tourists, with their cameras and cell phones, take pictures of the rainbow of sails racing across the green water.

Sitting on a bench between Tony and Senior, Tali kicks her legs back and forth. She jumps to her feet before climbing back onto the bench again. Her eyes never leave the boats.

"Boat, Abba? Boat?" she asks, jerking her chin at the fountain.

Tony sips from his coffee cup. "Sure, love. What color should we get today?"

She opens her mouth, lips moving before her face falls. Purple, she signs.

"Purple," Tony agrees, ruffling her hair. "You'll learn the colors soon."

When she glances at him, her eyes shine like stars. His heard clenches for a split second before she pulls on his hand. As soon as he is on his feet, Tali darts to hers. She takes his hand, even though her muscles are tight like she wants to bolt for the fountain. Tony turns back to Senior.

"Are you coming, Dad?" he asks.

"And lose the bench?" Chuckling, Senior shakes his head. "You know we'll never another one, Junior. Damned tourists. I'll stay here."

Tony doesn't even move before he notices a familiar face cutting through the band of tourists. Silver hair with that awful jarhead haircut, pale skin and piercing blue eyes. As he approaches, the man moves with a pronounced limp.

"What is Gibbs doing here?" Tony whispers.

Tali perks up. "Gibbs? Here?"

When Gibbs joins them, he keeps his distance like a stranger. He doesn't say a word. He just stares at Tony and Tali and Senior as though he is trying to soak up this picture of domestic bliss. Tony doesn't know what to say, what to do, what to even think. Senior stands to warily approach the pair.

To her credit, Tali doesn't even notice the tension building between the men. She drops Tony's hand to close the distance until she is hugging Gibbs' knees tightly. She grasps his legs together, swinging him wildly back and forth. To her, he is part of her bedtime stories, not the man who ran Tony halfway across the world.

"Gibbs!" Her shrieks are muffled. "Gibbs!"

Tony scrambles to pull her away before she knocks him over. Gibbs stoops to rub the top of her head. After Tony wrangles Tali back, he struggles to keep his expression neutral. Holding Tali's hand, he squares his shoulder. Something that might be regret flashes across Gibbs' face.

"Tali, this is your…" Tony searches for the right word, but all he comes up with is "…your Gibbs."

Gibbs half-smiles. "That works."

Tali bounces with energy. She relapses into an explosive bout of Hebrew before signing Ima's friend. Right Abba?

Tony nods. And with that, she wriggles away again to clutch Gibbs' knees. The older man can't help but laugh as touches his curls. He moves to pick her up, but after looking at Tony, he seems to decide against it. Gibbs gently eases Tali off his legs and guides her towards Senior. As if sensing the looming showdown, Senior deftly swoops to take Tali towards the fountain.

"Let's go get that boat." Senior's voice carries. "The purple one you wanted."

After they are gone, Tony turns to face Gibbs. Tension bubbles into Tony's gut and suddenly, his coat sleeve is soaked. He glances down to find a crushed paper coffee cup in his hand. Under Gibbs' intense stare, he drops it into the dirt and kicks it away. The breeze drags it away like a clumsy butterfly.

"How did you find me?" Tony asks.

"Had McGee ping your phone," Gibbs replies flatly.

Tony doesn't respond.

Gibbs continues: "I hear you and Tali are spending Thanksgiving with him and Delilah. That's good."

Tony takes the bait. "Tim said he couldn't bear the thought of us spending the holiday in a hotel. He seems to think blow-up mattresses in his living room will be better. I'm not sure how we're all supposed to fit into that apartment. Especially with the twins."

Gibbs half-smiles again. "They aren't due until Christmas."

"And if they're early?"

"I guess you'll be able to help out."

Tony nods carefully. And then, he knows he ran out of things to say. All the small talk in the world can't fill the chasm standing between them. And Tony has to know why.

"What are you doing here, Boss?" Tony asks.

"Already said McGee – "

"No, Boss. I mean, here." Shaking his head, Tony meets Gibbs' eyes. "What are you doing in Paris? Talking to me?"

They hold each other gaze until Gibbs is the first to break it. He turns to watch Senior and Tali play with a lilac sailboat in the fountain.

"I came to see how you were doing," Gibbs says, nodding. "And it looks well."

Tony crosses his arms. "If you wanted to know how I was, you could've called me. Or e-mailed. Or sent a letter. Christ, you could've given me anything."

"You got the sniper rifle." It is half-statement, half-question.

"Yeah, I did." Tony holds his hands out. "What the hell was that?"

With a jerk of his head, Gibbs guides Tony back to the bench. He glares at a tourist until the man scrambles to take pictures of the nearest tree. Then, Gibbs folds himself onto the green metal bench with a loud groan. Tony hangs back as if rooted to the ground.

Should I hear him out? Or walk away?

He rubs the back of his neck. Kicks at a loose pebble. Runs his shoe along the dirt. Releases a half-hearted sigh. If he leaves now, Tony might never get the closure he wants. But then, he doesn't need this anymore. Eventually, Tony sits on the opposite end of the bench, but he doesn't look at Gibbs.

Pressing his lips together, Gibbs starts, "That rifle was the only thing I could rely on in combat. It was the only thing I trusted until…"

When his voice trails off, Tony hazards a glance at him. "Until what?"

"Until I built a team that would never let me down." Gibbs' eyes are fixed on the palace at the edge of the park. "You, Ziva, and Tim were the best I ever had. The best I ever will."

"Then why did you cut me out?" Tony asks suddenly.

Gibbs' brow furrows. "I never did."

"Yes," Tony says, holding his ground. "I don't know how or when it happened. But one day, it was like a switch flipped. It was 'Gear up everyone. Except for you, DiNozzo. Stay here and help Abby. Reorganize the evidence garage. Accompany the body with Duck when Palmer was gone. Go get my coffee.'"

"I never made you get coffee."

"Okay, maybe I went too far with that one." Tony chews on the inside of his cheek. "It was like you didn't want me around after Iraq."

Gibbs scrubs his hand over his mouth, sighing. "After you went to Shanghai, I realized there was nothing left to teach you. You knew everything I had to offer."

"So you decided to just cut me out?" Tony asks.

"I was trying to show you that you were ready for your own team."

Heaving a breath, Tony searches for calm. He steeples his hands together as he tries to stave off the tsunami of emotion threatening to drown him.

"Why didn't you just say that?"

Gibbs just shrugs. "What I did seemed easier at the time."

"You destroyed what we had," Tony says.

Gibbs' head snaps to look at Tony. His eyes are wide and uncertain as though he couldn't comprehend the damage he'd done. And for a moment, Tony considers that he might not understand. That to the functional mute, he believed his actions were louder and clearer than words would have been.

"I thought you didn't want me around anymore," Tony says flatly. "That's part of the reason I came to Paris. It felt like a good place to start over."

"It is a great place to raise a child."

Tony shakes his head. "I was going to come here, regardless of Tali. She just set everything in motion earlier than I had planned. I've been talks with Interpol off since on after we took down La Grenouille."

"And you never said anything," Gibbs says accusingly.

"Can you blame me, Gibbs? You tend to get more than a little territorial with –" Tony uses air quotes "— 'your' agents. What would you have done if you knew Interpol was trying to hire me for years?"

Setting back into his seat, Gibbs half-smiles. Tony figures there are visions of sniper rifles and grenade launches and Molotov cocktails dancing through his head.

Tony chuckles. "That's what I thought."

"Look, Tony I would have been proud of you." He considers for a long moment. "Eventually. I was responsible for you, professionally and personally." At the fountain, Tali lets out a loud whoop. Gibbs genuinely smiles. "I am proud of everything you've accomplished."

"Thank you," Tony says.

"And thank you for risking everything to save Tim and me when I couldn't. It was more than what I could have asked."

Tony nods. "It was what you would have done."

Both men sit in silence for a long time just watching Tali chase her purple sailboat around the fountain while Senior struggles to keep up. She tries to climb into the fountain after it, but Senior catches her before Tony needs to get up. When a boat with a green sail gets too close, Tali uses her stick to sink it to the bottom of the fountain. After it doesn't resurface, she holds her stick above her head like a sword and laughs maniacally. Senior struggles, in broken French, to apologize to a sobbing, little boy and his red-faced mother. The scene makes Gibbs and Tony laugh.

"Are we good, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asks.

"I don't know," Tony answers honestly.

"Losing Ziva was bad enough. I still have Tim, but it's not enough. I'm trying to fix this." Gibbs nods to himself. "I need to fix what happened."

"Are you trying your best, Gibbs?" Tony blurts out.

He shakes his head. "I haven't, but I will."

"Then, I guess we'll just have to see what happens."

Half-nodding, Gibbs clasps his hand on Tony's shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere this time, Tony."

"Neither am I, Boss. Neither am I."

-oooooooo-ooooooooo-ooooooooo-

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