The end is not near, it's here. It is a bit sad coming up, and if you don't want to cry (cause I did writing this), then I would call the end of the last chapter your ending and be okay with that. But if you want the true ending, then go forth. Cause it's worth it, like Tony is gonna explain in the final chapter of How Tony Broke His Head. Thank you to everyone who ever read or commented on this story. I'm going to miss this Tony most of all but I am very pleased to finish this story that I started writing many years ago. How quickly time can fly. So Adios everyone, and thank you for reading this story.

Epilogue

I don't know really how to stop a story, or how the end of a story should look like.

In Tombstone, the movie not the place cause Probie says the place is still in Arizona, the story ended when Doc died cause he was sick and they didn't have the right medicines like they do now to make him better.

Doc couldn't believe that he wasn't gonna die with his boots on, that he was gonna die with not even his socks on. The movie really ends when Wyatt dies, a long time later.

I wonder how Wyatt felt, all those years without his friend Doc.

I think he missed him.

But I can't end my story like Tombstone, cause I haven't died yet so that wouldn't be right either.

Walk the Line ends when people die too.

I think though, that if I had to end it, it would be happy.

Finding Nemo ends happy, and so does Up!. Even though those are kids' movies and not a lot of people like kids' movies, I think they end okay. Even though Up! was sad in parts, it ended okay because that's how life is I think.

It's really sad in parts, really sad like when Nemo was lost or when Carl lost Ellie. But then life is happy in parts too, like when Nemo was with his dad again and when Carl got to put a pin on Russell.

And even Tombstone was funny too and Walk the Line had nice parts too.

I think that's the thing about endings.

Even though the movie ends, it's not really ending. Not really. Doc died and even though it must have been really sad for Wyatt, he kept going.

Even Carl in Up! had happy moments too after Ellie died.

Endings though, I think are sad. Not because they all end sad, but because the story is over. I know I'm sad too, and the ending to this story isn't all that sad. Sure, it had lots of sad parts, lots of parts that made me cry, but it wasn't all sad.

And besides, I think I like the ending of Up! better than Tombstone anyway.

"Hey Tony, how's it coming?" McGee knocked on the door to Tony's room.

"Hmm," Tony hummed, "Almost done."

"Good," Tim smiled and walked over, "You ready?"

"Yeah," Tony said, pushing back from his desk, "Hmm, is it gonna be cold?"

"I'm bringing a jacket," McGee responded, "So just to be safe."

"You get cold easy," Tony stood and laughed, even though Probie knew he was just kidding.

"Yeah, yeah," Tim laughed, "I'll be waiting for you in the kitchen."

"Okay Probie."

Tim turned and walked out of Tony's room, heading towards his room to grab a jacket before walking back towards the kitchen for a bottle of water. While there, he re-filled Doc's water bowl.

The chocolate lab, hearing a bowl hit the floor, wandered over to see if it was food time.

"You crazy boy," Tim laughed rubbing his silky ears, "Tony's already feeding you too much. Anymore and the vet is going to put you on a diet."

Doc's tail wagged like crazy, happy to be receiving some love from one of his favorite humans.

Doc was Tony's second service dog. After Baron had died at the nice age of 12, Tony had waited months before asking Tim for help finding another dog.

While Baron had been a wonderful dog, he had been nowhere near as playful as Doc was. Baron had been calm and a bit aloof with people he didn't know, and had stuck mostly to being plastered to Tony's side all day.

Doc was much more a social butterfly, forcing everyone he came into contact with to love him. While he was calm while he was "working", out of his harness Doc acted like the same puppy that Tim had brought home from the shelter.

"Doc!" Tony called out, "You gotta get dressed too!"

Tim laughed and watched as Doc hurried down the hall to Tony's room.

In the past twelve years, a lot of things had changed.

Senior had passed away peacefully in his sleep a little over a year after he had been released from the hospital. Jackson Gibbs had passed away a few months later, and Gibbs had kept his promise and allowed Tony to continue to live in the house Senior had bought him. While that time had been hard for both men, they had weathered the storm valiantly with each other's help.

Tony lived in that house for the next few years, enjoying his life. His family from Italy continued to visit, and Tony and Gibbs had traveled to Italy when both Tony's Nonna and Nonno had died a few weeks apart from each other.

About two years after Jack's death, Gibbs had retired from NCIS. McGee had been offered the Deputy Director position and had taken it. Ziva moved to become a teacher at FLETC, and another team had taken their place.

Ducky had been the next to pass away, falling asleep one sunny afternoon and just never waking up.

Jimmy had already been head ME for a few months already, but still the loss of his mentor had been hard for the young man.

Gibbs had been the next to go a few years later. The man had died with his boots on, in the end. Tony, in the days after his death, would always say that Gibbs' hadn't died like Doc Holiday. It hadn't brought much comfort then, but knowing Gibbs had died out in his shed, working away on his boat and not at the hands of a gunman had brought comfort to everyone on his old team.

Tony had taken Gibbs' death the hardest, especially because Tony had lost Baron soon after.

McGee had already been married for a few years when Tony moved in with him and his wife after Gibbs had passed.

It had been hard at first. Tony's seizures had increased around that time, and…it had just been a rough time for everyone.

Then, a few months later, Tim had become a father.

Though it had been subtly at first, the brand new baby had started the healing in Tony's soul, in all of their souls really.

Tony would spend hours watching little Jeremy roll on the floor and learn to crawl. Without fail, Tony was always there, making sure Jeremy was alright.

When Jeremy was about 9 months, Doc had come home to begin his training as Tony's service dog.

The puppy had quickly befriended his son, and while Tony was his favorite person, Jeremy was a pretty close second.

With the arrival of Doc, Tony was pretty much back to his normal self and also around that time, McGee had kept his promise and helped Tony move all the names that needed to be moved to the inside of Tony's blue helmet. It had been difficult, but Tony had smiled at the end, saying that no matter what, everyone would always be with him in his heart and in his head.

Tim smiled, remembering that time.

Nowadays, Tony was pretty much self-sufficient on his good days. He and Doc would take the bus to the youth center, where Tony would help the workers get ready for the after school sports program. He helped coach basketball on the weekends, and his team was pretty good this year. Other days, Tony would go visit Elijah or Zach, who each had a growing family of their own.

On the bad days, Tim's wife, who was a stay at home mom, would have to help Tony at home and help watch for seizures but those days were few and far between.

Tim had asked Tony once around the time things had started going good, if he wanted to get his own place. By then though, Tony had grown too attached to Jeremy and Beth, Tim's youngest daughter.

He had asked to stay, and Tim had no desire to go against his wishes.

"Ready," Tony said, shaking McGee out of his thoughts, "Ready?"

Tim looked down at Doc, his red vest on, and up at Tony, "Let's go."

"Jeremy should play more today," Tony said, "I don't like it when he sits down the whole time."

"Coach said he's improved," Tim and Tony made their way over to Tim's SUV. Tony, despite the years, still wouldn't ride in a car. But it didn't bother Tony and since it didn't bother Tony, Tim didn't mind either.

They were on their way to Jeremy's hockey game. Tim's wife would meet them there with Beth and Chris, McGee's two year old son.

"Beth's gonna be five next week," Tony said as they passed a party supply store on the way to the hockey rink.

"You're right," McGee said. He had almost forgotten. Sometimes, being the Director made it difficult to find a right balance between work and his family.

"Jeremy's is in two months," Tony smiled at look at Tim, "I won't let you forget."

"I know you won't," Tim returned the smile smiled.

Tony had a good memory when it came to the important things.

"Ony!" Chris said, lifting his hands up when he caught site of Tony, Doc and Tim making their way over to where Tim's family was already sitting.

"Ony up!" Chris said, turning and lifting his hands.

"Hold on Chris," Tony said, settling in his seat before reaching over and placing Chris on his lap.

"Hi Doc," Chris said, not petting it like his momma and daddy told him not too. Doc's tail wagged in greeting before laying down at Tony's feet.

"Uncle Tony, Jeremy only played one minute and 10 seconds last game. Mom says that he's gonna play more," Beth said, her attention following her brother as he warmed up.

"Oh and hi Daddy," Beth said when she caught sight of her father.

"Hey guys," McGee said kissed his wife in greeting.

"You were almost late," Tim's wife said.

"Almost only counts in horseshoes."

"And hand grenades," Tony laughed, the conversation a usual one they had.

"Almost done with the book Tony?" Tim's wife asked, smiling at him.

"Almost," Tony smiled.

"I can't wait to read it," McGee said.

"Me too, when I can read, which daddy says is gonna be when I start school," Beth said with the same spunky determination her mother had.

"It's sad in parts," Tony told the small girl quietly.

"I know," Beth nodded, looking away from her brother to smile at Tony, "But it's gonna have happy parts too right?"

Tony smiled, "Yes."

"Hi guys!" Jeremy called when he caught sight of his family a few seconds later, "Hi Uncle Tony!"

"Hi Jeremy!" Tony waved back.

Jeremy waved at each of them, blushing when Beth dramatically sent a kiss his way.

McGee smiled, looking at his family. He was thankful, for them and for Tony, who was accepted wholehearted by everyone in his family.

It might not have been the ending McGee would have thought, but it was a good one nonetheless.

People ask sometimes, if I'm sad about the way things might have gone. They ask if I'm sad about what happened, about breaking my head and everything that happened after. They ask if I wish things would have gone differently, if it would have been better if some things would have never happened.

Well, I really don't have a perfect answer for them.

But I think, that in the end, things went the way they were supposed to and even though I might have been sad about that some of the time, it was just fine with me now.

I think that life is crazy and fun and sad and everything in between and that's the sorta ending I want in my book. An ending that's not really an ending. Not for the important things anyway.

People died in this book. It wasn't always happy. I miss Boss like Wyatt Earp probably missed Doc Holiday. I miss my Dad and everyone who is on the inside of Blue. But I remember them, in my head and in my heart, and that's what makes it okay to miss them.

I don't know what would have happened if I had never broke my head. I wonder about everything that happened after, and I wonder if I would have ended up Uncle Tony, like I am now to Jeremy, Beth and Chris, who are the best kids ever. I wonder if I would have had a brother like Probie if I hadn't broke my head. Cause even though Probie wasn't always my brother, he is now, just like he wasn't always my Probie.

I didn't get everything I thought I wanted way back then, I guess, and I think that sometimes, that makes people think I'm sad.

I know it would have been different if my head had never gotten broken like it did. But my head did get broken, and everything that happened afterward happened. But things ended up good after that. I got what I needed. I'm happy.

But if things had gone differently, if I would have never broken my head…

Well, I guess I would have been happy with that too.

And that's the sort of ending that's the best kind of ending in the end, isn't it?

THE END