a/n:

October 6th, 2016
Bethesda Naval Hospital

"Anna"

Leroy Jethro Gibbs, no doubt influenced by old sitcoms and terribly dramatic movies, thought the ordeal would be more dramatic – and at first, it wasn't; there was no broken water, no fractured bones, no screaming and threatening to castrate him. When Jenny started feeling sick, and started having contractions, she leaned against the doorway, peering into the basement, and calmly told him she needed him to take her to Bethesda – she'd already called her obstetrician.

He didn't panic as much as he thought he would – not like some caricature of a man – slash – new – father; he got what he needed to get, asked her the right questions, made sure she was okay and – when they got to the hospital – called her father, and his, to let them know.

He was anxious, but in a normal way, and Jen seemed to be in a good place. She did hold his hand pretty tightly, but it wasn't violent. She made a snarky remark about the hospital gown.

"You know," she remarked, when she was introduced to the two male nurses and the male Navy medical student who would be assisting Dr. Lange, "They're the first men other than you to see me naked from the waist down." She paused, and grinned at him, her head on a couple of pillows. "They might have to touch my cervix," she teased. "You've never done that."

He pinched one of her knuckles lightly and glared at her, looking behind him at the monitor she was hooked up to.

"Holly sent me an article about women who've had orgasms during birth," Jenny whispered. "Would that make you jealous?"

He gave her a look that was some combination of annoyed, appalled, and curious. She laughed, then winced, and then tilted her head back. She grit her teeth and held his hand tighter.

"Jethro," she said quietly, "I feel a lot of pressure and," she paused, her breath hiking sharply. "I think I'm more ready for an epidural than they think," she breathed shortly.

He nodded and went to get the nurse, and even then, things didn't get dicey; Dr. Lange just darted in, checked something, and then told Jenny quite brusquely and mildly apologetically that it was too late for an epidural.

Gibbs thought Jenny handled that remarkably well – the problem, Dr. Lange muttered as she sat down on a metal stool and started what Gibbs had thought would be a long process, was that Jenny' labor had progressed very quickly. It wasn't a bad thing; it just meant she was going to have to do it naturally, and they were going to be parents in the next hour.

He wouldn't have wanted to be in her place for the world, judging by the whole experience – especially since unlike Ziva, who had kept trying to convince Jenny that natural childbirth was the best, Jenny hadn't spent months practicing techniques to ease the pain.

Regardless – she did it, and she seemed okay once the hard stuff was over, and the baby was screaming impressively loudly. She was breathing hard and staring at the ceiling through heavy eyes when Gibbs bent down to kiss her and push her hair back.

Jenny laughed, gasping for breath. She started to sit up, and Gibbs adjusted her pillows.

"'M okay," she murmured.

"Gunny, you want to do the honors?" the Navy doctor asked, and Gibbs hurried over, suddenly remembering that was part of his job, the tradition.

He swallowed hard, rubbing his hands on his jeans as he stepped up. She was still screaming, red and small – but a little cleaner at this point, and Gibbs did as instructed before they placed her in his arms.

"Take her to Mom," Dr. Lange said nicely, smiling warmly. She patted her own chest. "Lay her against Jennifer's chest, on her bare skin," she instructed.

Gibbs nodded, suddenly nervous and unsure. This baby was so little, so light and fragile, and she was so loud and – this was their baby, she was coming home with them, and that was very – humbling, it was humbling and it was daunting.

Jenny reached out to him as he approached, but she didn't sit up anymore. Her hands shook, and he sat down gently next to her, silently obeying Dr. Lange's instructions. Jenny was quick to take the baby and hold her close, breathing out shakily.

"Oh my god," she said softly, licking her lips. She bowed her head, holding the baby girl gently but somehow protectively and tightly all at the same time. She moved her legs, winced, and swallowed hard. "She's so little," she breathed hoarsely. "Jethro," she said, looking up at him.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead hard, placing a hand over hers on the baby's head.

He cleared his throat, trying to think of something better to say than 'You did good, Jen' – he didn't want to be cliché – and she pre-empted him, anyway.

She – moved like she was flinching, and squeezed her eyes shut. He pulled back. She made a whimpering noise.

"Mrs. Gibbs, are you feeling okay?" one of the nurses asked.

Then an alarm screamed, and something started beeping, and it sounded like Dr. Lange's metal stool toppled to the floor.

"Oxytocin, no, just up the dosage," he heard someone mutter.

Jenny tilted her head back, parting her lips. She kept her eyes shut. Gibbs noticed her hands shaking, and he reached for the baby.

"Jen?" he asked, his heart nearly stopping. "Jenny?" he repeated. He looked around, and in a flash there was a nurse standing there, reaching past him and taking the newborn.

"Mrs. Gibbs, can you hear me?" asked the other nurse, appearing and holding Jenny's eyes open, shining a light in them.

She turned her head sharply and twitched away, moving her lips.

"Mrs. Gibbs, are you in pain?"

Gibbs stood up quickly, bending over her.

"She's nodding," he barked, looking around wildly. "Hetty," he snapped – he was so used to calling her doctor 'Hetty'.

The OBGYN was already up and coming over, making a signal to the Navy medical student.

"Nursery," she barked at one nurse – the one with the baby – and before Gibbs could blink, his newborn daughter was gone, and the alarms seemed to be getting louder.

He was shoved out of the way. He pushed back.

"Jen!" he almost yelled, putting his hand on her head.

"Jethro, I need you to step back – "

"She's unconscious!" he growled, turning on the doctor sharply.

"Gunny!" she barked in an imposing tone – a light went off, and a couple of other people flooded the room. "Get him out," she said to one of them.

He was escorted – shoved unceremoniously – out of the delivery room by the Navy student, and when he tried to ask what was going on, he was ignored, and the door was slammed in his face – and as he was just standing there, in the middle of an empty, immaculately clean hospital hallway, blindsided and terrified, he regret that he'd ever thought to himself that it wasn't dramatic at all.

He wasn't sure how long it had been when a nurse he hadn't seen before walked him kindly to the waiting room. He didn't say anything to her, because she didn't seem to know who he was or what he was waiting for. He didn't know how long it had been after he sat down in the empty waiting room of labor and delivery when the doors burst open and the Colonel came storming in.

He was in full uniform, and he was sweating – he'd probably booked it from the Pentagon.

"I was in a crisis meeting," he growled, a little too loudly. "I would have been here sooner," he defended, and stopped in front of Gibbs. "What's going on; is she done? It hasn't been that long – what the hell are you doin' out here, son?" he demanded, and then smirked. "She kick you out?"

He came on strong, on an adrenaline high, and it took him a moment to notice that Gibbs wasn't smiling, wasn't standing to shake his hand, wasn't – wasn't saying anything, or doing anything at all. He noticed how significantly pale the kid was – and he stepped back, looking at him critically.

"Gibbs," he said clearly, raising his voice.

Gibbs seemed to snap out of it. He jerked in a startled manner, and moved his head, unsticking his jaw.

"She had the baby," he said quietly.

"And?" the Colonel demanded.

Gibbs didn't say anything, and the Colonel put his hand out, shaking Gibbs a little.

"Gunny," he said curtly, his chest starting to feel tight with apprehension. "Is my daughter okay?" he asked roughly.

"Haven't heard," Gibbs said, rubbing his face hard. He covered his eyes a moment.

The Colonel stared at him, dumbstruck. He swallowed hard, and then dragged up a metal chair and sat down as close as possible, and leaning over, trying to catch Gibbs' eye, got on his level.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice low.

Gibbs rubbed his jaw, and then stared at his palms, lifting his shoulders.

"She did great," Gibbs said mechanically. "Seemed easy as it could be, she got through it … didn't get an epidural, but she was still fine," he paused, shaking his head. "Then she wasn't. She passed out. Some alarms went off," he stopped, gritting his teeth. "They booted me."

The Colonel clenched his fist, suddenly looking around sharply for a nurse, a staff member – anyone who he could berate for some information. They had clearly told Gibbs nothing – nothing – about his wife's condition. He didn't see anyone, and he leaned back. He lunged forward almost immediately, trying to quell panic, but he was agitated, scared.

"The baby?" he asked, attempting to stay relaxed for Gibbs' sake.

Gibbs turned his head, and nodded – Jasper felt a small rush of relief.

"She's okay," Gibbs revealed in a rush. "They took her away from me, uh, to – the nursery, but, uh – "

"Tell me about her," Colonel said quickly.

"Seven pounds, ten ounces," Gibbs said. "I heard 'em sayin', while they handed her to me. That's pretty little, and she's only eighteen inches," he said gruffly.

"Did Jen hold her?" Colonel demanded anxiously.

"Yeah," Gibbs answered hoarsely. "Yeah, for a minute." He fell silent, and then tightened his jaw. "She stopped cryin', when Jen took her," he managed quietly. "The baby."

Gibbs put his head down, rubbing his jaw hard again – it seemed to be a nervous habit. The Colonel watched him, and looked around for a nurse again – why was no one here? The boy was a mess, and the Colonel didn't blame him – he couldn't sort out his own feelings: he was angry, worried about his daughter, worried about his son in law, relieved the baby was okay – confused. He imagined none of his emotions compared to Gibbs'.

"They tell you anything?" the Colonel asked desperately. "Is she … in surgery? Does this stuff happen a lot?"

Gibbs just kept shaking his head. He didn't know a damn thing. He'd been sitting here for almost an hour, he realized, and he still didn't know anything – he just kept seeing Jen's pale face, the look of pain that crossed her mouth before they pushed him away.

The Colonel got up. He paced violently, and then he looked down at Gibbs.

"Gunny," he said sharply. "You got to stop thinkin' what you're thinkin'," he ordered.

Gibbs stared at the ground. He put his hands over his face. The Colonel paced back, and sat down, the legs of his chair scraping the floor as he moved closer. He placed his hand on his son-in-law's shoulder. Gibbs stayed very still, and then turned his head, pushing his hands back through his hair, staring at Jasper like a deer in the headlights.

"This isn't right," he said hoarsely. "This isn't what s'pose to happen. Jasper, I can't lose her."

Gibbs' voice cracked hard, and the Colonel winced.

"No, you can't, can you?" he asked, half to himself.

Regardless of how he mocked Gibbs and pretended to dislike him, he knew the man loved Jenny more than anything. There wasn't anyone Jasper would rather her spend her life with than Gibbs, and he hated seeing him like this almost as much as he was scared for his daughter's life. He grit his teeth and swallowed, looking up. He shook Gibbs a little.

"What's her name?" he asked. "My granddaughter – your little girl?"

Gibbs rubbed his brow, his jaw set painfully tightly.

"She…we didn't…she doesn't have one yet," he choked. "Jen and I had a deal," he paused when the sound of a door being opened interrupted him, and he bolted out of his chair.

The Colonel was just as quick to stand, knocking over his metal folding chair, and he held Gibbs back silently indicating he'd go ask – he was more prepared to deal with it.

The Colonel approached the nurse neutrally, asking firmly but gently if she knew anything, who they could ask – and she looked up some things on the computer. She smiled, but it was a very guarded look.

"I don't have a physician's report yet," she said nicely. "I'm only comfortable saying that if it's been this long, it's probably good – in most situations when childbirth goes south quickly, the longer it takes to hear, the better. Maternal deaths are usually fairly immediate."

The Colonel wasn't sure how much relief that gave him, but he returned to Gibbs, sat down, and repeated what he'd heard verbatim.

"What happened to her?" Gibbs asked hoarsely.

He didn't have an answer for that.

"Gunny, Jen can make it," Jasper said firmly. "She isn't going to up and leave you alone like this," he fumbled awkwardly for a jibe to make, "she's not stupid enough to let you raise a kid alone." He stopped, thinking quickly. "Jethro," he said gently, kicking the other man's foot sternly. "You got to name this baby for her."

Gibbs didn't look up; he looked away. The Colonel pushed his chair back and crouched down. He put a hand on the back of Gibbs' head, forcibly making him look at him, and giving him a long, hard, paternal look.

"You can't do anything else for her right now, Gunny, nothin' but take care of her baby," he warned.

Gibbs glared at him blankly.

"If she dies?" he asked aggressively, his tone raw.

"You aren't gonna let my daughter down," Jasper snapped firmly. He grit his teeth, wary of discussing this in terms of death, but forced to face a possible reality. "If it turns out that you're all this baby has, you're gonna do right by her and Jennifer," he paused, trying not to let his own voice crack. "Gibbs, get up. I want to see my granddaughter."

"They took her."

"Nurse says you're free to go hold her," Jasper said gruffly. "That's what you're – we're – gonna do."

Gibbs looked at him heavily, feeling the weight of the Colonel's hand heavily on the back of his head. He was suddenly relieved Jasper was here, and he understood that it must be taking all of the Colonel's strength to be calm when he'd just found out his daughter had an uncertain fate.

"Get your ass up, Gunny," the Colonel ordered again. "I don't know all of what you're goin' though, but the only thing that's gonna make it even half better is your daughter – that I promise."

Gibbs took a slow, deep breath – and nodded.

The Colonel thought there were a lot of babies in the nursery, but he didn't really know what the usual haul was. He was impressed that Gibbs seemed to hone in on his immediately when they stopped outside of the glass. He pointed, and said gruffly.

"That's her."

The Colonel put his hand on the glass and looked down, and he grinned, forgetting for a moment that there was uncertainty surrounding them. He reached over with his other hand and clapped his hand on Gibbs' back.

"What're you waiting for, Gunny?" he asked.

Gibbs nodded and went to knock on the nursery door, explaining in a quiet voice that they'd like to hold Baby Girl Gibbs. A young, blonde nurse smiled sweetly and complied immediately; handing off the baby and giving him a wrinkly nose and a cute smile, and bounced off.

It was the second time Gibbs held his daughter, and though he still felt a little awed, and somewhat anxious, the minute he settled her against his chest and looked down at her wide, curious blue eyes, he felt comforted – the Colonel was right; she made it better, even just a little.

He walked over carefully, standing so he could show her off.

"Damn," swore the Colonel, lowering his head and looking eagerly down at her. He reached out and placed his hand lightly on the comfortably swaddled blanket, his large hand almost comical on the baby's stomach. "Look at that – hell, she's good-lookin', for bein' half yours," he said wryly.

Gibbs smiled a little, feeling a little better – just a little – now that he had his daughter in his arms.

"Yeah," he agreed quietly. "Good thing Jen's a knock-out."

The Colonel straightened up a little. He moved his arms, giving Gibbs a look, and Gibbs stepped forward and handed him the baby gingerly, warily making sure he had her. It wasn't that Gibbs didn't trust the Colonel – he knew how to raise a kid, after all – it was that he didn't trust himself, and he'd never forgive himself if he did something to hurt the baby.

Though – he swallowed hard, and thought he'd rather explain a scratch or a bump than have no one to tell at all.

"Baby Girl Gibbs," the Colonel said gruffly, moving his arms slightly in a rocking motion. He looked up, arched a brow. "You got to fix that."

Gibbs shrugged, his hands hanging at his sides limply. His eyes on his daughter, he shook his head somewhat uncertainly.

"I can't name her without Jen," he said stubbornly. "We had a deal."

"Son," the Colonel said gently. "Last thing she needs is stress like that when she," he faltered, unsure what to say, what to promise – he went on gruffly: "My girl loves you. She trusts you. You won't disappoint her," he promised. "What's her name?"

Gibbs stood thinking, looking down at the swaddled pink blanket and the blue eyes. He reached forward and touched her small cheek, and then cupped her head in his hand, smiling little more at the soft feel of her small knit cap.

It was October sixth, four days after Jenny's due date – his own mother's birthday, to be exact, though he hadn't told anyone that. He swallowed hard, thinking of how young he'd been when he lost his mother, thinking about Jen, and the names she liked – and it was easy.

She wanted Abigail, but she didn't want the nickname 'Abby' to ever stick. She wanted to remember her grandmother, but she also liked Jackson's suggestion that they pretty up Gibbs' mother's name.

Gibbs cleared his throat.

"Anna," he said, running his thumb over her brow.

"Anna…?"

"Abigail," Gibbs supplied. He nodded. "Anna Abigail Gibbs."

The Colonel looked down at her, and smiled proudly, nodding his head. It was a good, classic, simple name, and he didn't think Gibbs could have done better – he was particularly, secretly glad it hadn't ended up Samantha, because he didn't have the heart to tell Jenny he'd dated a Samantha once and she was a wretch of a girl.

Gibbs looked over at the other babies, and took a deep breath. He stepped back, trying to gain his bearings, and just when he thought he might have gotten his heart to start beating right again, a door slammed and Dr. Lange appeared, marching towards him.

He barely had a moment to feel sick with apprehension – because she smiled.

He reached out and gripped the Colonel's forearm tightly, and Jasper turned to look.

"Hetty," he greeted pleasantly, albeit tightly.

She nodded to him, giving a small salute of respect, and stepped forward.

"Jethro," she said, the tense, business-like demeanor gone – back to her old self. "Jennifer is safe. She's recovering in a suite in this wing," she told him, skipping explanations so he would know right away.

Gibbs shared a look with the Colonel, and stepped forward, searching the shorter woman's face desperately.

"What happened to her?" he asked, too relieved to feel angry – and suddenly, he was tired; exhausted.

"It isn't something common, but it isn't uncommon either," Dr. Lange said calmly. "She had some severe hemorrhaging that I wasn't able to control with a simple oxytocin drip. I took her to an operating room once you had been removed, and we took some steps to make sure she would pull through. It can take a while, sometimes," she paused. "I won't get in to specifics right now. She's had a blood transfusion, but she's quite alright, and she's awake."

Gibbs swallowed hard, and nodded. He caught her hand, and squeezed it.

"She didn't have surgery?" he asked.

"No, Gunny," Hetty said warmly. "She really is okay. She can have as many more children as she likes," she added, winking.

That had been what Gibbs wanted to hear, though he didn't realize it until she pre-empted it.

"I suppose you want to see her?" Hetty asked wryly.

Gibbs didn't have to say anything; the look on his face answered it. He reached for the baby at the same time the Colonel thought to hand her over, and Hetty pointed him in the right direction, holding the Colonel back.

"Shall we catch up for a moment, Jasper?" she asked pointedly.

He nodded, though he was eager to go see his daughter – make sure, in person, that she was okay. He knew he needed to give Gibbs a moment alone with her – ah, alone with her and Anna.

He was quiet as he entered the room he was directed to, and though Dr. Lange had said she was awake, Jenny certainly looked out cold when he walked in. He approached silently, and made sure there was room for him to sit down on the edge of the bed.

As he did so, she shifted, and opened her eyes heavily, moving her head a little and blinking slowly. She focused on him, and smiled, breathing out slowly. She still looked pale, though there was more of a healthy colour to her cheeks than had been an hour ago, and she was clearly exhausted, but she kept smiling at him.

She moved to sit up, and he reached out one hand, shaking his head.

"'M okay," she murmured soothingly. "I'm tired, but I'm okay, just," she paused, licking her lips. "More sore than after a normal delivery," she admitted.

"Take it easy," he said gruffly, pleading with her silently.

She nodded, still sitting up just a little.

"Oxytocin, transfusions, and Hetty had to massage my uterus manually," Jenny said lightly, her voice scratchy as if it were on a bad radio station. "I have no shame left anymore," she joked quietly.

He looked a little wary at the though, and she leaned forward some, moving her hands, holding out her palms.

"Is she okay?" she asked earnestly.

Gibbs nodded, a grin breaking out on his face. He shifted, showing the baby off.

"She's perfect, Jen," he said smugly, moving closer and helping Jenny take her.

He watched protectively as Jenny snuggled the baby against her chest, making sure she was comfortable and wrapped tight in her blanket, and she looked down at her with a small, admiring wrinkle in her nose. She moved a little, rocking her.

"I was kind of out of it," Jenny said huskily. "When all those alarms started blaring, I thought something was wrong with her."

Gibbs shook his head. Overcome, he leaned forward abruptly, carefully maneuvering so he wouldn't hurt the baby but was still able to hug them both, and he put his arms around Jen and pulled her close, pressing his lips to her cheek, and then her temple, and then burying his face in her neck for a moment.

"You scared me, Jen," he mumbled, almost incoherent. He gripped her tightly with one hand, anchoring her to him, to this world. He took a deep breath, and leaned back a little, catching her eye. "What the hell was I gonna do, without you?"

She blinked at him, a little taken aback by the ferocity of his emotion, a little startled – maybe she didn't realize they hadn't told him anything; maybe she didn't realize he'd thought she was dead.

She lowered her lashes a little, and she yawned, looking a little sheepish to break the moment like that.

"You would have lived, Jethro," she said gently, tilting her head.

He shook his head negatively, and pushed her hair back, kissing her temple again. He lingered a moment, and then shifted, resting his forehead on her shoulder and looking down at the baby.

"What did you name her?" Jenny asked pleasantly, loosening the blanket a little to get a better look.

Gibbs cleared his throat.

"Anna," he said confidently. "Anna Abigail."

"An-na," Jenny pronounced musically, and then turned her head, her lips puckering. "Those are both my picks," she said. "Jethro – "

"I like it," he interrupted stubbornly. He lifted his head and nodded firmly. "It fits."

Jenny smiled and looked down, loosening the blanket some more. She opened it until she could see the clean hospital onesie and Anna's hands and toes. She cuddled her up looser in the blanket and leaned back tiredly, lifting her closer, pressing her lips to her forehead.

Gibbs ran his hand over her hair again, working through the tangles gently, and he was surprised when she lifted her head, caught his eye, and turned up her nose a little, trying to look away quickly before he saw the tears.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, sheepishly. "I'm not upset I'm happy," she promised in a rush. "I'm very – I'm very happy," she repeated, a laugh bubbling to her lips. "She's just – she's so cute for a tiny little red thing – "

"'Cause she's yours, Jen," he said smugly.

She nodded, holding Anna closer.

"I never expected I'd be so emotional when I – "

"I know," he said gruffly, hand running through her hair. He kissed the side of her head, nodding a little. "You did good, Jen," he said finally – he didn't give a damn anymore if it was lame. "I love you," he told her sincerely.

She nodded, kissing Anna's hand. She leaned back and met his eyes.

"You want another turn?" she offered.

He gave her a lopsided smirk, and tilted his head towards the door.

"You got to let me go get 'im, Jen," he drawled. "Didn't let it show, but he was about as torn up as I was."

She pursed her lips, and widened her eyes.

"Dad," she remembered. She bit her lip. "I'll remember not to bleed like a stuck pig next time," she joked weakly, and Gibbs gave her a look, then pointed down at Anna.

"She held it together for us," he said, waving to catch the baby's pretty, curious eyes.

Jenny beamed, and indicated Gibbs could get the Colonel. He got up, set his shoulders back, and strolled over, opening the door and stepping out to meet the Colonel's eyes – and in a less stressful fashion, he nodded and beckoned forward, pretending this was the first time he'd seen his father-in-law – so he could do it without all the scary parts.

The Colonel came in, shutting the door behind him, and burst into a grin the moment he saw Jenny sitting up with the baby. He strode over rapidly, standing by the bed and bending down to look. Jenny looked up, her eyes wide and expectant; she gave him a wry look.

"Can you believe it?" she asked slyly.

He just shook his head. He grit his teeth and put his hand on her head paternally, giving her a chaste kiss. It was a little difficult for him to come to terms with the fact that his only child was in front of him – with a child.

"Thank god you're okay, Jennifer," he said seriously, gesturing at Gibbs. "I thought that one was going to have an aneurysm, the way he was carryin' on – cryin', screamin'…" the Colonel paused, and Jenny thought it must not be too much of an exaggeration, since Gibbs didn't so much protest as roll his eyes and look down, "…not 'cause he'd miss you, 'cause he can't take care of a kid – "

"Daddy," Jenny interrupted, snorting, as Gibbs responded this time, giving him a glare.

"I'll give you a run for your money, Pops," he threatened.

"You think you can do better'n me?" the Colonel snorted, straightening up.

Jenny shook her head, pulling her knees up a little and holding the baby closer. Gibbs approached the bed and stood next to her, folding his arms. He nodded smugly.

"You got some problem with what I did for you?" the Colonel asked, gesturing to Jenny.

Gibbs opened his mouth to retort, and then snapped it shut, suddenly looking gobsmacked. He looked down at Jenny as if he had literally, genuinely just realized she was someone's daughter, and then he looked at Anna, and he imagined her growing up, and looking like Jenny, and trying to leave the house in tiny shorts, or driving boys around in a red mustang, and he pointed an accusatory finger at the Colonel.

"What the hell were you thinking, letting a seventeen-year-old go out with me?" he demanded.

Jenny gave him a startled look, and the Colonel arched an eyebrow.

"You have any idea what I was thinkin'? I could have – she could have," Gibbs stammered, feeling a sort of retroactive panic mixed with a weird kind of paternal paranoia.

He looked down at Jenny and Anna again, struggling with this newfound respect and understanding of the Colonel.

"Look out, he's got his own baby girl now," Jenny teased, winking at her father. She looked up at Gibbs. "You could be kind of grateful he was so trusting," she pointed out – it had worked out considerably well, after all.

To their surprise, the Colonel burst out laughing, reaching across the bed to slap Gibbs on the back hard in a friendly, welcome-to-the-club sort of way. Gibbs scowled half-heartedly, and Colonel Shepard gave him a knowing look and held his hand out towards Anna gallantly.

"The hard part just started," he said wisely, and Gibbs looked down at his newborn daughter, and everything changed.

October 6th, 2016
Bethesda Naval Hospital

-Alexandra

the end !
*be on the look out for 'Katharyn' which will probably come next.