Gibbs shuffled into NCIS with a smile on his face and the toddlers clinging to each of his legs; by the time he got to the bullpen though, his smile had faded as he noted the tense atmosphere that was swirling around the room. Everyone was staring up at the catwalk leading to the director's office, except Tony, who was missing from the entire bunch.

Owen and Olivia left Gibbs' legs and toddled over to their uncle McGee, crawling up into his lap "Hi Unca Tim!" Owen and Olivia both squeaked happily – clearly not fazed by the tension that was in the bullpen.

McGee cleared the tense expression from his face quickly and smiled down at the twins "Hey Liv, Hey Owen. How are my two favorite little agents?" McGee asked, kissing the twins on their cheeks lightly.

Owen smiled as he stood up on McGee's thigh "We okay. Where daddy?" Owen asked as he looked around the bullpen, trying to spot his daddy Tony in the surrounding area.

Soon enough, the question was answered when they heard a shout coming from upstairs "She's NOT my daughter!" they heard Tony's voice, which echoed loudly in the silent bullpen.

Gibbs turned towards the stairs "McGee, watch the twins!" Gibbs ordered as he took the stairs up two at a time, hoping to get to the bottom of his husband's obvious anger. Gibbs walked into the director's office unannounced, his eyes immediately falling on Tony, then scanning the room and falling on a three-year-old girl clinging tightly to an older woman.

Gibbs inhaled slowly "What's going on in here?" Gibbs asked quietly, looking between the unidentified woman, child, Vance and his husband.

Tony inhaled deeply as he stood up and began pacing the length of Vance's office "These…. These two are trying to tell me that… that little girl is… is my daughter… and… and that Ziva is her mother…" Tony stammered out, his entire body shaking slightly as he continued pacing.

Gibbs raised his eyebrow at that admission, looking at the little girl once again. Gibbs slowly approached the toddler, crouching down to her height and smiling softly "Hey little one, what's your name?" Gibbs asked, holding his hand out to the toddler.

The little girl lifted her head up, staring at the older woman briefly before turning back to Gibbs "I Talia…" she said quietly, setting her hand into Gibbs' hand and smiling warmly "You dod Gibbs." Tali said as she swung back and forth on her feet slowly, finally releasing the older woman's leg.

Gibbs, knowing a minimal amount of Hebrew, rose his eyebrow at that "Uncle Gibbs? Really?" Gibbs asked, standing up with the little girl in his arms now, looking at the older woman.

"Orli Elbaz, Mossad Director." Orli introduced, holding her hand outward to Gibbs and smiling warmly. Gibbs nodded and shook Orli's hand "I have documents proving that Talia is, in fact, Mr. DiNozzo's daughter." Orli informed Gibbs, pulling out the paperwork of Talia's birth records – one in English and the other in Hebrew.

Gibbs took the one in English and settled down in a chair, Tali still in his arm and now situated on his lap. Gibbs withdrew his glasses from his pocket and smiled down at Tali before looking up at Tony, who had finally stopped his pacing and was watching Gibbs with a confused look on his face. Gibbs raised his eyebrow and Tony nodded slightly "I'm going to go back to work… If there's anything else you need from me, that's where I'll be." Tony stated as he headed out of the office, pulling the door shut behind him firmly.

Gibbs slowly read over the birth certificate once Tony was securely out of the room; right there in black-and-white was the proof, but how much of it was really true? Sure, Tony's name was listed as the father, and Ziva's as the mother… But, looking down into this little girl's face, Gibbs couldn't see the resemblance, he knew that didn't mean much, but without a DNA test to confirm, there was just no way he'd believe it "I'd like to have my own proof that this little girl is who you claim she is…" Gibbs said as he stood up with Tali, glaring in Orli and Vance's direction, daring either of the director's to challenge his request.

Orli waved her hand in the direction of the office door, and Vance nodded "Go on, Gibbs… Get what proof you need, but in the meantime… Anthony is still legally her father, so she is in your's and his custody until proven otherwise…" Vance told him, effectively dismissing Gibbs from the room.

Gibbs nodded as he hiked Tali up his hip slightly, then headed out of the office and down into the bullpen "Tony, let's go… We're going down to the lab." Gibbs said as he walked through the bullpen, ignoring the looks from his previous team, his twins and even his own husband as he headed for the elevator that would lead him and Tali down. Tony didn't waste any time to join his husband in the elevator, but he couldn't meet his husband's eyes or the little girl who he had no idea about.

Tony fidgeted restlessly with the cuff of his sleeve, wearily watching as the new NCIS Lab Tech, Louis Mitchell, swabbed first Talia's mouth and then Tony's. "I'll have the results as soon as I can, who should I give them to?" Louis asked as he began setting up the DNA test.

Tony looked in Gibbs' direction "I'll take the results when you have them… But, I want you to seal them… I'll take them home so that Gibbs and I can review the results together." Tony said as he stood up from the stool, looking down at the toddler sitting in Gibbs' lap.

Gibbs nodded as he stood up slowly, keeping a firm grasp on Talia's waist "Let's go home, Tony… We're going to need a few days…" Gibbs said as he held his hand out to Tony. Tony nodded and took Gibbs' hand as they left the lab and headed up to the bullpen to collect their other two children.

Tony lifted Olivia and Owen up into his arms and then turned to McGee "McGee, I'll be taking a few days off… If you need me, call me but… try not to need me." Tony said as he carried the twins out of the bullpen, Gibbs following behind with Tali still in his arms.

The ride back to the house was silent and tense; Tony drove while Gibbs sat in the backseat between the twins, Tali in his lap. Gibbs had tried speaking up several times, but Tony would shoot him a look that shut Gibbs' questions down immediately, so the forty minute ride was done in silence, even the three toddlers in the car didn't dare to speak, not wanting to anger their two daddy's any further.

Tony barely waited to get the car in park and turned off before he got out and stormed into the house. Gibbs sighed as he adjusted Tali off his lap and then unbuckled the twins from their car seats "Alright you three… I know this seems a little scary right now, but I'm going to talk to daddy Tony and see if I can't get him to calm down… Olivia, Owen… I want you two to take Tali upstairs to the playroom, and stay up there okay?" Gibbs asked, looking at the twins with a smile.

Olivia and Owen both nodded their heads, "O'tay daddy, we'll go play!" Olivia agreed easily, taking Tali's hand into her own as the three toddlers made their way out of the car and up the driveway. Gibbs got out of the car and followed the toddlers until they got to the stairs, he then watched as all three of them crawled up the stairs and turned towards the playroom.

A few minutes later Gibbs found Tony sitting in the basement, an empty tumbler glass in his hand and the bourbon sitting out on the workbench but it was unopened and Tony's glass was dry as a bone "Contemplating drinking or just pretend drinking?" Gibbs asked teasingly as he lifted the bottle of bourbon up and twisted it around in his hands.

Tony shrugged and shook his head "I don't know what I'm doing right now…" Tony said sadly, setting aside the empty glass and keeping his eyes locked on the workbench. After taking a deep breath, Tony looked up at Gibbs "I never slept with her Jethro… Not then, not Paris… not ever…" Tony said quietly, hoping his husband would believe the truth of his words.

Gibbs nodded as he set aside the bottle and cupped Tony's cheek gently "I know, I know you didn't… But why would she name you the father of her child, Tony? Why you and not her real father?" Gibbs asked quietly as he sat down on the stool beside his husband, keeping physical and eye contact the entire time.

Tony shrugged again and lowered his head into his hands "I… When I left her in Israel… I knew she wanted me to stay with her… But… My heart already belonged to you… always had… I told her that I couldn't stay… but that I would always be there for her if she ever needed me…" Tony said quietly, twisting smalls strands of his greying hair around in his fingertips slowly "I did love her, Gibbs… Not in the way I love you, but I would do anything for her…" Tony exhaled slowly and closed his eyes "But raising her daughter? I… I don't know…" Tony added, shaking his head and breathing shakily.

Gibbs laid his hand on Tony's back and began rubbing up and down soothingly "If we don't take her… and you give up your parental rights, which, legally you have since you're listed as her biological father… She'll go back to Israel, Tony… she'll be raised as a Mossad spy..." Gibbs said quietly, then a thought struck him "That's why she listed you… She didn't want that for her daughter, she didn't want Talia to become like herself… Ziva needed you to take Talia if anything had ever happened to her… Because she knew… she knew you wouldn't let that little girl become anything bad, that you would encourage her to become the ballet dancer that Ziva wanted to be… or, anything else that Talia wanted to do with her life." Gibbs said confidently.

Tony lifted his head up as he looked at Gibbs, head cocked to the side slightly "Are… Are you suggesting that… that we keep her? That we raise Talia as our daughter?" Tony asked quietly, his voice reflecting his shock.

Gibbs nodded slowly "If you don't want to raise her… I would understand… but I… I don't want her going back to Israel if I can help that at all… I don't want Tali growing up and living the life that Ziva had…" Gibbs said quietly "I'll let you think about it… You don't have to make a decision right now, we have a couple of days to decide on anything…" Gibbs said as he stood up and kissed the top of Tony's head lightly "You should, at least, give her a chance… Learn about her, get to know her." Gibbs whispered into Tony's hair.

Tony nodded as he stood up and kissed Gibbs lightly on the lips "It wouldn't hurt to get to know her, in any decision that we make." Tony agreed as he headed out of the basement.

Tony stood in the door of the playroom, watching the three toddlers play and giggle; it looked as if they'd been together since birth, three heads of curly brown hair put together closely as they worked on a child's puzzle together. Tony sniffled slightly, sincerely touched by the three toddlers before him; he quietly walked into the room "Mind if daddy joins you?" Tony asked as he looked down at the three children.

All three shook their heads, Olivia and Talia scooting over to make room for Tony between them. Tony smiled as he got onto the floor between the two girls "Winnie the Pooh, my favorite puzzle!" Tony exclaimed, eliciting giggles from all three children.

Olivia looked at Tony with a weird expression "You too old to like Winnie da Pooh daddy!" Olivia said, giggling, even more, when Tony feigned a hurt look, putting his hand over his heart.

"Ouch, that hurt daddy's feelings." Tony whimpered, turning his head away and sniffling, pretending to cry into his shoulder.

Talia stood up, setting her small tan hand against Tony's cheek "It otay daddy… don't be hurt." she said quietly, obviously not knowing that Tony wasn't her father, but taking her social cue's from the other toddlers in the room.

Tony, temporarily stunned, looked up into the chocolate brown eyes of Talia, seeing every ounce of Ziva's fire and passion in those eyes "I think I feel better now… Thank you Tali." Tony whispered as he took Tali's hand and softly kissed it, smiling up at the little girl.

Tali giggled as she leaned forward, kissing Tony softly on the cheek "You is welcome." Tali said as she turned back to the puzzle on the floor, assembling the pieces that Owen and Olivia had given to her.

Tony pulled his legs up to his chest and sighed as he watched the three children play; he couldn't ignore the immediate connection he felt in that one touch with the little girl. Tony knew then, in that very moment, that he would never be able to give Tali up, no matter how hard he tried – this child would soon become their child, and they would be raising three toddlers; he didn't know how, but he knew that they would be.

Tony kissed each toddler on the head "I'll be back in a bit, I have to go talk to Daddy Jethro. Maybe when I get back we'll watch a movie and have some popcorn…" Tony suggested as he stood up, smiling when the three children cheered Tony's suggestion excitedly.

Tony practically ran down the steps of the basement and barrelled into Gibbs' arms, sniffling loudly "I can't… I won't give her up, no matter what the consequences are. No matter how hard it'll be, how many diapers I have to change, baths I have to give or how much food gets stuck in places that I can't even imagine… We need her in our life as much as we need our other children in our lives." Tony said as he let tears slide down his cheeks silently.

Gibbs held on tightly to Tony's body, kissing his husband on the forehead and gently rocking him side to side "I know baby, I know… It doesn't matter… She may not be biologically yours, but that little girl upstairs is much yours as she is Ziva's in every other way possible." Gibbs whispered into Tony's ear as they stood there in the center of the basement.

Tony nodded against Gibbs' shoulder and inhaled deeply a few times to regain control of his emotions "Now we just have to explain this to the twins… and hope they won't mind having a slightly older sister in their lives…" Tony said once he'd gotten under control of himself, pulling back from Gibbs' embrace and looking down at his husband.

Gibbs smiled as he brushed the stray tears away from Tony's cheeks "If it's any indication about the giggles coming from upstairs, I think they will be perfectly content having another sister in the house…" Gibbs said confidently as he kissed Tony on the lips softly.

Tony nodded as he began pacing a short length of the basement "Okay, well what're we going to do about Tali? She doesn't have a bedroom or clothes, or… she doesn't have anything Gibbs, she has absolutely zero possessions in this world except for the clothes on her back and the diaper bag that Orli brought with her…" Tony rambled, furiously pulling at his hair as a new stress became apparent.

Gibbs chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Tony's waist, pulling his husband in close and kissing his neck softly and slowly "Relax… Relax… You're stressing out over nothing right now…" Gibbs said as he gently massaged into Tony's firm stomach muscles to relax his husband. Once Tony was relaxed again, Gibbs kissed Tony's ear "We can put Tali in Olivia's bedroom, or we can convert the guest bedroom into Tali's bedroom… We have plenty of room for Tali. Stores will never run out of clothes, or toys, or personal care items… She will have everything that she needs and more when we figure out what she likes and what she needs…" Gibbs said soothingly as he turned himself and Tony towards the stairs, intent on talking to the twins before everyone started getting too tired.

Tony took Gibbs at his word; somehow, in the end, they would figure it all out – they would figure out how to add a third toddler into their lives, they would figure out what Tali wanted and needed out of life, and they would figure out how to be parents to three children instead of two. Tony trusted Gibbs like he always had, to make the right decision for the future of their family, and he hoped to every deity in the world that nothing would ruin their chances to this new adventure.