Chapter Four

A year or so later….

Gibbs strode purposefully into Abby's lab. It was a Saturday morning but all of his team (well, nearly all) were hard at work. They had weekend duty and some PFC had decided to fall off a building the night before. It was up to them to figure out if taking a swan dive had been his idea or if he'd had some help.

He was busy looking at the notes in his hands when he heard his name being called.

"Gibbs!!"

The voice brought a quick smile to his lips and he immediately put the notes into his pocket.

"Heya Vanni. How goes it?" Gibbs asked, stooping down to pick up his godson. Vanni hugged his godfather back and in doing so gave an extra squeeze to Bert the stuffed Hippo. The resulting noise sent the little boy into giggles of glee.

Gibbs walked the rest of the way into Abby's lab and found Tony studying the computer screen over her shoulder. Vanni's stroller was parked in the corner near her desk.

"DiNozzo, what're you doing here? You don't have weekend duty anymore, remember?"

"I know Boss but I saw the news and thought you guys could use some help. Besides, Vanni wanted to visit with Abby, didn't you Vanni?" Tony replied.

The little boy in Gibb's arms nodded, squeezing the toy again. "And Bert too," he added, as the hippo farted loudly. Gibbs chuckled.

"Alright, well let's see what we've got," Gibbs said, putting Vanni back down. Just as he was about to stand back up a little hand reached into his pocket, snatching his glasses and running away, giggling.

"Giovanni Antonio DiNozzo!" Tony called, having caught his son's antics out of the corner of his eye. "You give those back right now."

Vanni's only response to his father's warning was to run faster. "No!" he cried, running out of his father's reach.

Gibbs smiled broadly, nodding in approval. "Reminds me more of you everyday, DiNozzo."

Tony chased after his son, holding his hands out and growling like a monster.

"You're gonna get it now….The Monster is gonna eat you!" Tony said, sending Vanni running behind Abby's legs in mock terror, the glasses still held in his pudgy hands.

"Vanni! Go to the tunnel! The Monster can't get you in the tunnel!" Abby cried, pointing to her desk. The little boy took off, crawling under the desk with his father in hot pursuit. Giggles and growls were heard and nothing but the sight of Tony's long legs sticking out was seen for a minute or two. Then Tony popped up, holding a laughing toddler in one arm and the glasses in his other hand.

"Aha! The Monster has won!" Tony said, walking over to Gibbs and handing the glasses over with a flourish.

Taking back his stolen glasses, Gibbs ruffled his godson's hair and smiled at Tony. He was rewarded with a huge grin from his Senior Field Agent.

Tony put Vanni down and the little boy ran back to pick up Bert once again. Tony and Abby went back to their discussion and for a little while Gibbs did what he did best, moving into the background to watch. He was very good at it and soon both Tony and Abby had forgotten he was there. All his years as a sniper allowed him to blend in and not be noticed when he wished it.

He took in Tony's clothes, noticing that they were casual but stylish. It hadn't gone unnoticed by Gibbs' that for a while Tony had let himself go, taking the time to dress his son smartly, though not always himself.

Gibbs also noticed the stroller, a jogging model rather than a standard one. He took that to mean that Tony was running again, something Gibbs knew the younger man also hadn't done in a long time.

Finally he noticed the easy laughter that came that day, both from the antics of his son and the banter with Abby. When Vanni grew tired of Bert and began to whine a little, Tony barely paused in his conversation as he saw to his son's needs. Picking up the boy he quickly walked over to his bag hanging on the back of the stroller, pulling out a favorite toy.

Content, the toddler snuggled the toy and stuck a thumb in his mouth, leaning his head on his father's shoulder. Vanni drifted off as Tony rocked him instinctively, still talking intently with Abby and watching as she drew up schematics on the jumper's trajectory from the building.

The two debated the angles quietly for a while, mindful of the sleeping child in Tony's arms. It was Tony though who finally pointed out a minor discrepancy in the position of the body once it hit the ground. It gave them the exact launching point from the roof, which would help the investigation immensely. Abby was delighted and kissed Tony on the cheek as a reward for his sharp eyes.

Through it all Gibbs watched Tony's features carefully and saw something that for a long time he wondered if he'd ever see again.

Tony was happy.

What happened on the day Vanni was born would always hurt, again Gibbs knew that from experience, but it was getting better.

Gibbs also knew that Tony had something that he himself had never had, or at least never allowed himself to have. He had a "family" there to help.

The End