Tony smiled amazingly at his partner, as she walked in carrying a baby in her arms along with her gun and a diaper bag

Tony smiled amazingly at his partner, as she walked in carrying a baby in her arms along with her gun and a diaper bag.

'New development, Kate?' Tony asked, getting up from his desk and walking over to Kate's as she set the baby down on the floor.

'Shut up, DiNozzo,' Kate said, running her hand through her hair. 'Where's Gibbs?'

'Right here, Kate,' Gibbs said, walking into the bullpen with a coffee in his hand. He stopped in front of Kate's desk, and turned to face the baby sitting on the floor. It looked up at him, and clapped its hands, smiling. Gibbs suppressed a smile and gestured for Kate to follow him out to the elevator. Kate hesitated and turned to DiNozzo. She opened her mouth to speak, and then shut it again. She turned to McGee.

'Can you watch her, just for a minute?' McGee nodded as Kate followed Gibbs.

'You brought your daughter to work in a federal office?' Gibbs asked, stopping in front of the elevator. Kate sighed.

'Her day care manager is sick, I can't find anyone to look after her at such late minute.'

Gibbs stared at Kate for a few seconds, then sighed, almost unnoticeable.

'Don't make a habit of it,' he said, walking back towards the bullpen.

Kate ran her hand through her hair and breathed out deeply before following him back in.

DiNozzo was on the floor, playing with the baby. McGee was actually surprised, Tony didn't seem like the type to get all sappy over a baby, but here he was, making faces and talking in baby talk.

'You like her, DiNozzo?' Kate said, smiling at the sight of the 30 year old man lying on the floor talking to her daughter. Tony cleared his throat, and jumped up from the floor.

'Just making sure he was occupied. So who is he? A nephew? Someone just handed you a baby this morning?'

Kate pushed DiNozzo away from her desk, and sat down, picking up the baby from the floor.

'It's a girl, DiNozzo. And,' she hesitated, unwilling to just give up the information, but decided she had no choice, 'She's my daughter.'

Tony sat down with a thump, and stared at Kate. She had never seemed like the type to just have a baby. Kate was so modest, no way she would have gotten with some guy, actually gotten pregnant and then had the baby.

'So what's her name?' McGee asked, returning to his desk.

'Hailey Grace.'

Tony smiled softly at his partner.

'That's a nice name,' he said, earning a look from both McGee and Kate. He wasn't known for giving out compliments, but as he was looking at Hailey, he couldn't help but say something nice.

'How old is she?' Tony asked.

'Just over 6 months. She can barely crawl, but she can sit up by herself, so its pretty good at the moment.'

'Can I-,' Tony hesitated, 'Can I hold her?'

Kate looked at Tony, surprised.

'Uhh, yeah, sure.'

Tony got up and walked over to Kate's desk, and reached down and picked up the baby. She smacked her hand against his chest, and looked up into his eyes. Tony had never been one of the maternal types, but as he looked down into her little eyes, he felt something stir inside him. She cooed up at him, a big toothless grin and he felt his heart warm.

'Hello, miss Hailey Grace. My name's Anthony DiNozzo, but you can call me Tony. You're a cutie, aren't you?' he said in baby talk, earning surprised glances from both McGee and Kate.

'What?' he exclaimed. 'I can't talk to her without you all looking at me like that?'

'I'm just surprised, is all,' Kate said, placing her handbag on the floor beside the diaper bag. 'You don't really seem like the baby type.'

'Well I'm not really, but cute girls can't help but be attracted to me, so you know,' he laughed as Kate pulled the baby out of his arms, scowling at him. Hailey smiled at her mother, and Kate pulled a bottle out of the bag. Tony watched as she fumbled to hold everything in her arms, and he laughed.

'Kate, give me her,' he said, holding out his arms. Kate looked skeptically at him, before slowly handing the baby over.

'I just need to heat up her bottle-,' she was cut short as Gibbs stood up from his desk.

'There's a dead petty officer over in Bethesda, Kate you're with me.' Gibbs grabbed his gun and his badge and started towards the elevator.

'But, what about her-,' she started.

'Tony'll look after her,' Gibbs called out. 'You coming or what?'

Kate sighed and grabbed her gun and her badge, handing the bottle to Tony.

'She's hungry, make sure the milk's warm, but not hot, and if she cries, give her-.'

'I can take care of her Kate. Its fine. Go.'

Kate gave one last look at Tony holding Hailey, then ran after Gibbs and just squeezed past the doors before they shut.

'Well, baby girl, looks like its just you and me,' Tony said. Hailey gurgled and clapped her hands together.

Tony frowned at the microwave. The bottle inside was slowly spinning around, but he wasn't sure how long he was supposed to leave it in there. Hailey was getting restless against his shoulder, talking to herself in that way babies can, and squirming against him.

'Hailey Grace,' he whispered, rubbing her back softly. She turned her head to face him, and reached out with her hands. He deflected the smack and grabbed hold of her tiny fingers, watching as she wrapped her entire hand around his finger. She lifted his hand and put his finger in her mouth.

He could feel small teeth coming through, and he knew that had to be painful. Well, he didn't really know considering he couldn't remember when he was a baby, but he was sure it would hurt.

The microwave beeped, and Tony pushed the button to make the door open. He pulled out the bottle and dripped it on his hand, wincing at the heat. Hailey made a grab for it, but he pulled it out of her reach.

'Sorry, Hails, its too hot for your little mouth.'

Hailey pouted, and tears began to form in her eyes.

'It'll be ready soon, I promise,' he told her, setting the bottle down on the bench. Tears began to stream out of Hailey's eyes, so Tony started to rock her to keep her quiet.

'How about we do a little dance, hey?' he asked, turning her around, and holding her under her arms, away from his body. He began to sway, giving Hailey little shakes every couple of seconds. She began to laugh, and he smiled at her. She clapped her hands together and wiggled her legs.

'That's it Hailey! Keep dancing,' he said, and he began to sing an old love song, off-key to her.

McGee stared at Tony and the baby, as they danced across the floor. He had never, in all his time working with DiNozzo, ever seen him act like this. Tony, the skirt chasing, arrogant, egotistical guy, going ga-ga over a baby girl?

McGee pulled out his phone, and set it on video. He pointed it towards Tony and watched as he sung to the little girl, still dancing with her.

'Put the camera down Probie,' Tony said, without even looking up. McGee sighed and closed it, putting it back in his pocket. Tony was just like Gibbs, he always knew what was happening.

'If you mention this to anyone,' Tony told him, turning to face him, 'I'll hurt you.' Tony smiled at McGee's discomfort, and turned back to the bottle sitting on the bench. He tested it on his hand, and decided it was the right temperature.

'Here you go, Hailey,' he said, handing her the bottle. She stared at it, turning her head on the side.

'She can't hold it yet, Tony. You need to feed her,' McGee said from the doorway.

'I knew that,' Tony bluffed, and he turned Hailey so she was resting on his arm. He put the bottle near her mouth, and held it as she drank.

'I wonder about babies sometimes,' Tony said softly, watching as she sucked on the bottle. McGee was surprised, Tony sounded so… deep.

'I mean, their so little, they have to depend entirely on other people. They don't know what its like to get screwed over, when someone you trust turns out to be lying to you. And even if they do find out; they don't understand it. They put their whole trust in the people that raise them.'

McGee stared thoughtfully at Tony.

'They don't know anything else,' he said quietly, watching as Tony pulled the now empty bottle from Hailey's lips, and holding her against his shoulder, patting her back.

'How do you know to do that?' he asked, knowing that had Kate left him in charge, he would have sat the baby down and just watched it.

'My cousin had a baby pretty young, so I always used to look after it. You gotta burp them otherwise they feel sick in their little tummies,' he said the last couple of words more to Hailey than McGee, rubbing her back.

McGee watched with fascination as Hailey opened her mouth and emptied her stomach down the back of DiNozzo's Armani suit. If anything would get him angry, this would be it.

'Uhh, Tony? I think she had a little… accident,' McGee said, pointing to Tony's back.

'Ohhh man. This suit cost me three hundred bucks,' he said, turning Hailey back around.

'You're a silly girl, aren't you? Yes you are, yes you are,' he said in baby talk. McGee stifled a laugh. Had anyone else put even a drop of water on Tony's suit, they'd live in fear. The baby had thrown up all down it, and Tony was talking in baby talk to her. Tony looked around for a place to put the baby, and then realized that McGee was still standing there.

'Here, hold her for a second while I take my jacket off,' he said reaching out to give McGee the baby.

'I don't know how to-, I've never-, I don't-,' McGee stuttered.

'Just hold her for a second,' Tony said, and McGee picked the baby out of his arms.

Tony pulled his jacket off and dumped it on the table. He turned to take Hailey back and laughed. McGee was holding her away from his body, staring at her, as she clapped her hands and moved her feet.

'I think she likes you there probie,' he said, taking hold of Hailey once again. McGee glared at Tony, and followed him out of the room.

Tony and McGee walked back into the bullpen, and Tony sat Hailey down on the floor.

'Can she walk yet?' McGee asked, watching as Hailey took in her surroundings.

'McGee, she can hardly crawl yet, let alone walk,' DiNozzo said, walking around to the other side of his desk. He kept one eye on Hailey as he opened his internet and checked his email account. He had a few from personal friends but other than that, it was pretty empty.

'She can't crawl? What does she do all day then?' McGee asked, wondering why the baby wasn't screaming in boredom.

'She's 6 months old, probie, what do you think she does? She sits around and goes where people move her,' DiNozzo answered, shaking his head at McGee's naivety. McGee jumped when Hailey fell sideways, ready to pick her up if she needed it.

'Its okay, probie,' Tony said, laughing, 'She just wants to move around, she's fine.'

'You said she can't crawl?' McGee half asked, watching as Hailey tried to roll onto her stomach.

'Doesn't stop her from trying,' Tony answered, sitting down at his chair, leaning back in it. They both watched as Hailey finally made it onto her stomach, and started pulling herself along, sliding over to McGee.

She stopped at his shoe, and lifted her head to look up at him. She used his leg to pull herself to a sitting position, and smacked his shoe with her little hand.

'What the hell is she doing,' he asked Tony, worried.

'She's just playing.'

McGee sighed, and stood there as Hailey entertained herself.

Kate came rushing back into the bullpen. She looked over at Tony's desk and saw that he wasn't there, neither was McGee. She turned around to go down to Abby's lab, and saw DiNozzo and Hailey stepping off the elevator. Kate rushed over and took her daughter out of Tony's arms. Hailey gurgled and smiled at her mother.

'Hey baby,' she said. Hailey giggled and smacked her mother's chest.

'Was she okay?' Kate asked, looking up at Tony.

'Yeah, she was fine. Gave her her bottle, let her roam around the bullpen, showed her the autopsy room,' he broke off, laughing, at Kate's anxious look.

'I'm kidding Kate. Do you really think I'd take a 6 month old baby down to autopsy?'

Kate shook her head at DiNozzo, and walked back to her desk.

She sat down and set Hailey on the floor in the corner, handing her a stuffed animal.

Tony sat down at his desk, and Kate looked across at him.

'Thank you,' she said sincerely, looking in Tony's eyes. He smiled a rare smile back at her.

'Anytime Kate. Really. She's a good baby,' he said fondly, watching Hailey try to stand up against the divider wall between Kate's desk and Gibbs. He jumped up as she fell over, hitting her head on the wall. He reached her before Kate even had time to look down, and picked her up, rocking her back and forth to stop her crying.

'Hailey,' he sang, 'Its okay, baby girl, you're okay.'

Kate watched incredulously at her partner, singing to her daughter.