A/N: As promised, here is the epilogue. I hope it ties things up in a nice little bow.

First chapter of "Five Years On" should be posted in day or two. I hope you'll check it out.

Ch 32 – Epilogue

Three Years Later:

It was a brutally hot and humid July day, but thankfully the water was cool and refreshing. It was the Fourth of July and Team Gibbs was off rotation for the day and assembled at their favorite group hangout – Gibbs and Tony's lake house.

McGee spread large beach towels out on the sand while Abby slathered sunscreen all over "Princess Hope", the pet name bestowed upon their now 2½ year-old daughter by Gibbs. After 20 hours of labor, Hope Caitlin McGee was welcomed into the world at 10:30 p.m. on December 22nd. Naturally, the waiting room was filled to overflowing when McGee came through the door with a tiny bundle in his arms and a smile on his face that would stay in place for days.

Happy smiles filled the room when McGee announced that they had chosen Caitlin for Hope's middle name. Gibbs had a huge lump in his throat, but managed to croak out a heartfelt, "Good job, McGee. Kate would be honored." Ducky placed a loving hand gently on Hope's head and quietly offered up a traditional Scottish prayer that she would always be loved and protected.

Tony and Gibbs were more than happy to babysit Hope whenever they got the chance. Abby had to scold them frequently about spoiling her rotten, but both men ignored her. They were after all her Godfathers, and according to Tony were allowed "to do whatever we damn well please, thank you very much". Nothing on earth could stop her from taking off at a toddler's run whenever she caught sight of Tony or Gibbs. It was obvious to everyone that she adored them as much as they adored her, and it came as no surprise to anyone that her first word, "boss", was spoken as she pointed at Gibbs.

Hope squealed with delight as Tony approached holding out a sippy cup of apple juice for her. She squirmed out of Abby's grasp so Tony ran and scooped her up and placed a loud raspberry on her sunscreen-covered tummy. McGee laughed as Tony tried to spit and get the nasty taste out of his mouth, earning a playful glare from Tony.

Newlyweds Ziva and Marcus joined them on the beach a short time later. Tony may have been head over heels in love with Gibbs, but that didn't stop him from whistling and leering appreciatively at a bikini-clad Ziva while shaking hands with Marcus. They were a striking couple, both tanned from their recent honeymoon in the Bahamas. "Hey, eyes of my wife, Tony!" Marcus threatened jokingly.

They got married May, but a case came up that delayed their trip until mid-June. Ziva had gotten her wish of having Gibbs give her away. She had tried to repair the fractured relationship she had with her father, but every time she went back to Israel he tried to take control of her and keep her there. He did not approve of her marrying a non-Jew, and tried to convince her that he had the perfect husband for her. On the flight home, Ziva knew that her biological father no longer meant anything to her. She had a real father, and his name was Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Gibbs fully expected that Eli David would be there to give his daughter away, and was surprised when Ziva told him that she did not intend to invite Eli to the wedding. After a heartfelt and tearful declaration by Ziva that Gibbs was more of a father to her than Eli ever was or could be, a choked up Gibbs answered by pulling her into a fatherly hug and kissing the top of her head.

Marcus converted to Judaism so that he could give Ziva the traditional Jewish wedding she had always dreamed of. The small, intimate ceremony was held at the synagogue Ziva had been attending since moving to the U.S. Despite Ziva's nearly non-existent relationship with her father, who happened to be friends with the Director, Vance stopped by Ziva's desk on his way home one evening and announced that he and Jackie would be honored to host the wedding reception.

Jackie Vance went all out having the entire event catered; it was a sit-down dinner for fifty people served under a huge tent erected in the middle of their back yard. Large pink and white peony blooms and small bowls with tea light candles in them floated on the surface of the water in the swimming pool, and the scent of cherry blossoms filled the air. Vance was dreading getting the bill for all of it, but as he looked at his beautifully decorated back yard he had to admit that his wife knew a thing or two about throwing a party. Gibbs and Tony picked up the rather large tab for the open bar, and a friend of Marcus' played DJ for the evening.

Tony couldn't have been more thrilled or surprised when Gibbs stood ramrod straight and held out his hand asking him to dance. They had danced in the privacy of their own home often enough, but never in a public setting. Tony had been forced to take dance lessons when he was growing up to prepare him for all of the society events and debutante balls he was expected to attend, and had honed his skills over the years to impress his dates. When Tony asked where he learned all of his fancy moves, Gibbs mock glared at him and answered with a chuckle, "Four wives, Tony. It's not like I had much of a choice."

Ducky and Gibbs sat on the deck watching the activity on the private beach sipping decaf iced tea. Tony had gotten used to Gibbs surly mood at not being allowed to drink his poison of choice due to the medication he was currently taking. It took a very long lecture from Ducky on the dangers of mixing the strong medication with caffeine to convince Gibbs to switch to decaf, at least temporarily.

Ducky had retired a year and a half ago turning the ME position over to Palmer. That didn't mean, however, that Ducky was a stranger in the halls of NCIS. He was always available to impart his knowledge and wisdom whenever Palmer called about a curious case. He also was often called in as a consultant to provide psychological profiles in serial cases and to observe interrogations in the hopes of shedding some light on a suspect's behavior. Ducky didn't need the money; the inheritance from his mother, selling Reston House and his own wise investments allowed him to maintain a very comfortable standard of living. He bought a two-bedroom condo not far from the lake house and was a frequent visitor and dinner guest at the DiNozzo-Gibbs home; that is, when he wasn't with Dr. Jordan Hampton.

No one was quite sure what to make of Ducky's relationship with Jordan Hampton, but it was obvious that they enjoyed each other's company immensely, and since Ducky was so happy so no one questioned it. Ducky was disappointed when she received a last minute call asking her to speak at a medical convention in Seattle.

Gibbs and Ducky were discussing Gibbs' rehab progress when Palmer and Fornell joined them. Ducky could tell by the expression on Palmer's face and the fact that Fornell wouldn't look him in the eye that all was not well with the couple. Gibbs tilted his head and looked curiously at Fornell who was sitting across the table from him only to have Fornell hold up a hand signaling that whatever was going on, he didn't want to talk about it. After several minutes of growing tension, Ducky cleared his throat and stood, "Mr. Palmer, I could use your help getting more tea from the kitchen please."

"Of course, Dr. Mallard," was Palmer's automatic reply as he rose and followed Ducky into the house.

"Okay, what's going on Tobias," Gibbs asked. "You and Palmer have another fight?" Gibbs drank the last of his tea and waited for a response.

"Hell, Jethro, we just can't seem to get past it. Seems like the same fight over and over again. I can't convince him," Fornell said with a sad sigh.

"Tobias," Gibbs said quietly as he rested his arms on the table so he could lean closer to his friend, "you have to look at it from Palmer's side too, you know. He has a lot more responsibility at work now, puts in hellish hours, and maybe he just doesn't think he can make the time to take care of a baby."

"I know, Jethro, but I love him and I want nothing more than to do this with him. I want the whole family thing. I mean, he's great with Em, but she's mine. I want to have a child that would be ours, together."

Fornell and Palmer had discussed becoming parents through surrogacy when they first moved in together, but with Palmer taking over for Ducky those plans got shelved. Fornell had been bringing the subject up again on a fairly regular basis resulting in numerous fights. A couple of the fights had gotten so bad that Palmer walked out and called Tony who offered a safe haven until Palmer was ready to go back home.

One particularly bad fight erupted when Fornell suggested that since he made plenty of money and was steadily moving up in the FBI ranks Palmer didn't need to work anymore. Palmer accused Fornell of wanting him to become a Stepford wife, threatened to move out for good, and ended up staying with Gibbs and Tony for nearly a week.

Ducky and Palmer appeared a while later with a pitcher of iced tea and a tray of glasses. Gibbs and Ducky traded knowing nods; Ducky had obviously had a heart to heart talk with Palmer. Palmer looked a bit more like his cheerful self and shot a weak smile at Fornell as he took the seat next to him. Somehow, talking to Ducky always helped put things in perspective. They may never come to an agreement on the subject of children, but neither of them wanted it to break them up.

Gibbs shifted in his seat and winced at the sudden sharp pain in his left leg. Ducky jumped into action and went back inside to retrieve the bottle of pain medication and bottle of antibiotics from medicine cabinet above the stove. He brought back the pills along with a big glass of water. He held them out and scowled at Gibbs making it clear that there would be no argument about taking them. Ducky dropped the pills into Gibbs' hand and handed him the glass of water. Gibbs dutifully downed the pills and handed the glass back to a now smiling Ducky.

Gibbs rolled his eyes and muttered, "Thanks Duck."

"Jethro, maybe you should go in and lie down and rest your leg for a while. It would do you no good to suffer a set back when your rehabilitation is finally showing some progress," Ducky offered with affectionate concern in his voice.

"Naw Duck, I'm fine right here", Gibbs growled as he gritted his teeth through another wave of pain.

"Bullshit!" Fornell barked before getting up and going in the house, returning a few minutes later with a pile of pillows. "Can you lift your leg yourself, or do we need to bring in a crane?"

Gibbs glared at Fornell and took a hold of his left leg, carefully raising it enough so that Fornell could wedge a few pillows under it. Palmer helpfully pulled one of the footstools from the patio furniture over for Gibbs to prop his foot up on.

Tony had looked up just in time to see all of the activity on the deck. With a worried look on his face, he sat Hope down on the towel next to McGee and sprinted toward the deck. Out of breath when he reached Gibbs' side, Tony panted, "Jethro, what's wrong? Your leg really hurting, babe? Do you need your meds? Jethro, what can I do?"

He was cut off by Gibbs pulling him closer and kissing him soundly. From early on, Gibbs found that the best way to shut Tony up when he started rambling was to kiss him senseless. "M'fine, Tony. Ducky brought out my meds, Fornell and Palmer propped me up so I'm good." Gibbs smiled and stroked Tony's cheek trying his best to convey his sincerity. "I could use an icepack though."

Tony nodded and immediately scampered inside and was back with a gallon-sized Ziploc bag full of ice in less than a minute, which he gently placed over the large bandaged area on Gibbs' thigh. He smiled sadly at Gibbs and whispered, "I wish I could make this go away, Jethro. It never should have happened."

"I know, Tone, but I'm getting better every day."

Flashback:

Gibbs had been driving slower than usual on the rain-slicked road as he and Tony were heading back to the Navy Yard from a particularly gruesome crime scene. He was concerned about how quiet Tony had been at the scene. It had involved an apparently straight petty officer who was found bound to a bed and had been savagely beaten and raped. It his too close to home, and Gibbs feared that Tony was having a flashback. He was about to reach over and grab Tony's hand when Tony yelled out, "Jethro! Look out!"

The next thing Gibbs knew, he was waking up in the ICU at Bethesda after undergoing six hours of surgery and three days in a drug-induced coma. He felt like a mummy as he was pretty well bandaged from head to toe. It would be a few more days before he found out the details of the car accident that left him in critical condition for days, but thankfully Tony was only a bit banged up with minor whiplash and some cuts and bruises.

Gibbs didn't remember the impact, which everyone agreed was for the best. He was knocked out by the force of the crash, which left him with a serious concussion, which led to some brain swelling and the need to put him into a coma. A big shard of glass from the driver side window cut deeply into his left leg, almost severing the artery. His left shoulder was dislocated, and he had five broken ribs.

Tony sat in the hard plastic chair next to his bed and held Gibbs' hand as he told him what happened. "Jesus, Jethro, it was horrible. We were just cruising along heading back to the office when a drunk driver ran a red light at M Street and t-boned us. It was like in the movies when everything is suddenly in slow motion. I saw the guy and yelled at you. You slammed on the breaks, but he didn't even try to stop. Jethro, the son of a bitch had a BAC of 0.24; that's three times over the legal limit and it was only 3:00 in the afternoon! Asshole driver didn't end up with so much as a scratch either." Tony paused to pour himself a drink of water from the pitcher the nurse left on the bedside table. He sat back down and chuckled sarcastically, "You know, the funny thing is you were actually driving below the speed limit! I keep wondering if you'd been driving the car like you stole it, like you usually do, if the son of a bitch would have missed us." He smiled at the eye roll Gibbs directed at him and squeezed Gibbs' hand.

Gibbs pointed to the pitcher of water, so Tony filled a cup for him and stuck a straw in it. He held it while Gibbs took a long drink to relieve his dry throat. "You okay, Tony? What did the doc say?"

"I'm fine!" Tony practically shouted; amazed that Gibbs who was in pieces and held together by sutures and bandages was worried about him. "I'm a little banged up, but nothing Bactine and Band-Aids won't fix. You, on the other hand, scared the shit out of me, Jethro. I don't think I've ever seen that much blood in my life." Tony looked down and frowned as he remembered first looking at Gibbs, who was pinned in the car, to see blood pouring out of his leg. "Jethro, I thought I had lost you. There was just so much blood! It was coming out of your leg like a fucking geyser and I couldn't stop it. I tried, God knows I tried, but I couldn't put enough pressure on it. Thank God the fire department and paramedics got there so fast. I was so scared, I …," Tony trailed off, holding back tears as the fear of losing Gibbs gripped him. "It was too close," he said quietly, "They had to use the jaws-of-life to get you out. I was able to pull a NASCAR move and climb out my window, but you were pinned."

Gibbs squeezed Tony's hand hard to get his attention and by the understanding nod, Tony knew that Gibbs didn't need to hear any more. "It's gonna be okay, Tone." Trying to lighten the mood, Gibbs chuckled and said, "But Marty in the motor pool is going to be pissed that I destroyed another car."

Gibbs spent 10 days in the hospital before his surgeon finally relented and let him go home. Tony commented that he was pretty sure he heard a cheer coming from the nurse's station down the hall. He grinned and snickered, but quickly sobered when Gibbs directed a glare at him. Tony barked out a laugh, "Oh come on! You know damn well the nurses aren't gonna miss you one bit!"

The accident happened in March, and since Ducky had retired in January he volunteered to help take care of Gibbs while Tony was at work. Tony wanted to take time off, but Gibbs vehemently shook his head at the idea.

"Tony, someone's gotta take over the team while I'm out of commission, and you are more than ready to be a team lead," Gibbs announced proudly.

End Flashback

Tony massaged Gibbs' thigh for several minutes to help alleviate the muscle cramping that occurred whenever Gibbs over did it causing it to swell. The ice and medication were helping, and Gibbs patted Tony's hand to let him know that he was okay for now.

Suddenly Abby was running up the stairs, followed by McGee who was trying not to drop Hope as she squirmed to get free. Ziva and Marcus followed more slowly, having all seen the crowd gathered around Gibbs.

Gibbs smiled when he heard Hope call out "boss" as she fought against McGee. Gibbs beamed at Hope and held out his welcoming arms. McGee hesitated for a moment and said, "You sure you want her, boss? Don't want her to hurt you."

"She's the best damn medicine in the world, McGee, so hand her over," Gibbs commanded while still managing to beam at Hope.

McGee carefully placed Hope on Gibbs' laps and told her to be careful because "Boss has a boo-boo". Hope threw her tiny arms around Gibbs' neck and placed sloppy wet kisses on his cheek, while Tony broke out laughing at McGee.

After a traditional July 4th barbeque of hot dogs and hamburgers, the whole group gathered at dusk on the deck with fresh drinks in hand for what Tony declared would be a "fireworks display for the ages," which it was. Tony had been elected treasurer of their homeowner's association and had shamelessly used his considerable charm and powers of persuasion to raise the necessary funds for the amazing display. Abby held Hope tightly to her as they all watched the rather impressive fireworks display over the lake from the deck. McGee stood behind his wife and covered his daughter's tiny ears as vivid colors exploded high above them.

Another Six Months Later:

It seemed as though the drama of the past year faded away as the holiday season approached. Thankfully, Palmer and Fornell had worked out their differences. During a long talk mediated by Ducky, Palmer admitted that he just never saw himself raising a child from infancy, and Fornell declared that he just wanted a family with Palmer. In the end they decided to go through the application process and had been accepted as suitable parents to adopt a three-year old boy who had recently been orphaned when his parents were killed in a car accident. Palmer, Fornell and their son Aaron would be together by Christmas.

Abby and McGee held Hope's third birthday party in the basement party room at the local Pizza Hut. McGee blamed Tony for Hope's love of pizza; her favorite, not surprisingly, being sausage, pepperoni and extra cheese. "Hmm, imagine that," Tony said smugly. It was a small party; just the McGees, Tony, Gibbs, Ducky and Jordan. Ziva and Marcus had gone on a skiing holiday with his family, while Palmer and Fornell were in Baltimore to pick up their son.

Abby whined at Tony that they were going to need to rent a truck to get all of Hope's gifts home. Tony and Gibbs continued to do their best to spoil Hope rotten every chance they got, and that was not likely to ever change.

Over the last few months, Gibbs had some serious talks with both Ducky and Tony about retiring since he had enough time in to get his full pension. Tony wouldn't hear of it insisting that he still had too much to learn. Gibbs assured Tony that he was more than ready enough to take over the team. The damage to his leg had finally healed completely, but it was determined by a panel of specialists that Gibbs would probably never be totally cleared for field duty. Even if he was cleared, Gibbs feared that he would be a liability and didn't want to risk putting his team in danger. After a rather heated discussion, Tony relented and accepted Gibbs' decision to retire, with one proviso: Gibbs had to help choose a new "probie" for the team.

Tony was concerned that Gibbs would go crazy being retired, but Gibbs had a newsflash for Tony. "Oh, don't worry about me, Tone, I'll be plenty busy," Gibbs said after swallowing a mouthful of the delicious chicken picata that Tony had made for dinner.

Tony looked at him with narrowed eyes and asked warily, "Doing what may I ask?"

"You know Lou's Pub down the street?" Gibbs asked while trying to hide a smile.

"Well duh, Jethro," Tony said sarcastically, "It's like spitting distance from here." Gibbs just looked at Tony and didn't say anything. After a few moments, Tony sighed and said, "Don't tell me you're gonna tend bar for Lou?"

"Um, not exactly. Look Tony, I, uh … Lou and his wife are moving to Arizona and he's selling the bar. I was thinking about buying it. Always thought it would be fun to own and run a bar." He chuckled at the astonished look on Tony's face and asked, "So whadya think? Think I should do it? We could be partners you know, you and me."

Tony shook his head and laughed. "Well, only if it means I get free drinks. Yeah, I think you should buy it. I can go halfsies if you want. Could be kinda cool."

In the end it was decided that they would be equal partners, but Gibbs would run the show. It would be a month before they could take over and Gibbs wanted to do some remodeling, so it was agreed that he would return to NCIS until the bar was ready to open just after the first of the year.

Gibbs invited Ziva and McGee to join him and Tony for lunch his second day back at work to tell them about his plan to retire and to discuss the structure of the team. Gibbs may not be able to be out in the field, but he could still command and direct their investigations and conduct interrogations. However, he wanted to have a clear chain of command in place out in the field.

Gibbs announced that Tony would remain as co-leader of the MCRT with him until his retirement was official, at which time Tony would be the sole team leader. McGee, having more time in, would be promoted to Senior Field Agent and Ziva to Junior Field Agent. The four of them would work together to find a suitable "probie", but for now Team Gibbs was intact, stronger and closer than ever.