Gibbs paused in Abby's doorway and smiled as she bounced up and down in beat to the music, her pregnant stomach not prevailing her in the least. Pregnancy suited Abigail Sciuto. She span around and smiled when she saw him.

"Hey Gibbs!" she beamed. He returned the smile, but frowned when he saw what she had been looking at on her computer. Ziva, DiNozzo, McGee and herself were beaming at the camera. The photo was taken on Abby's birthday, a month before Vance had split the team up. She followed his gaze and her smile lost some of his brightness.

"You have to get them back, Gibbs, you have to!"

"I'm working on it, Abs," he said, and he kissed her forehead, before resting his hand on her seven month old bump, "How's the little one?"

Abby giggled, "She's fine. She likes to dance, just like her daddy."

Gibbs' expression turned sombre, "Abs, when are you going to tell me who the father is?"

"When the time is right, Gibbs, when the time is right, I will tell you. He should be here when I do,"

Time passed, and Gibbs got McGee and then Ziva back onto the team, after Langer's death. Abby was still remaining tight-lipped about the paternity of her baby, and was now in the last month of her pregnancy. Gibbs was on tenterhooks, awaiting the call from Ziva that Abby was in labour. Abby had moved in with Ziva because Gibbs did not want Abby to be alone in the last stages of her pregnancy.

It was a Tuesday night, and Gibbs had crashed into bed after staying up late working on the boat. It was 2am and his phone rang.

"Gibbs," he said, sleepily.

"Gibbs!" It was Ziva, "Abby is in labour!"

Gibbs sat up in bed, all traces of drowsiness gone. He listened as Ziva rattled off the details. He slammed down the phone and quickly dressed. He made it to Bethesda in ten minutes, and was surprised to find Abby walking around her room.

"Abs?" he queried.

"Hey, Gibbs!" she cried, and hugged him, careful not to squash the baby.

"Abby, shouldn't you be in bed?"

She shook her head, "Uh-uh. I'm only dilated two centimetres. Walking increases the speed of –OWW!"

She squeezed his hand tightly as a contraction ripped through her body. It was over in seconds, and she gave him a bright smile.

"Abby, the father?"

"Is on his way, Gibbs. He'll get here in time."

Ten hours later, Abby was still only 5 centimetres, and the baby was in distress. She was informed she was going to have a c-section, and for the first time all morning she looked scared. Gibbs was at her side in seconds.

"Gibbs! Gibbs! He's not here yet. He has to be here, and everything will be alright!" He squeezed her hand as they prepped her for surgery. He felt hopeless as they wheeled her away.

"Everything will be fine, Abs!"

Twenty minutes after Abby had been taken away, a man raced through maternity and powered through the double doors of the OR. Gibbs didn't get a look at the man, he was running so fast, but he assumed it was the baby's father.

Two hours later, her doctor came out of the OR.

"Everything went fantastically. Both mother and baby are fine. She's asking for Gibbs?"

Gibbs stood and followed the doctor back into the OR. Abby was sat up in bed, her hair a sweaty mess, and her cheeks flushed. She sported the biggest grin he had ever seen, and a shiny new engagement ring to boot. She smiled in welcome.

"Where is she?" asked Gibbs

"Here," said a muffled voice, and Gibbs turned around. There was another doctor behind him, clad in scrubs, hat and a surgical mask. If Gibbs had looked into the man's eyes, he would have recognised him, but he was too entranced by the little pink bundle in his arms. The doctor wordlessly handed the baby to Gibbs. Gibbs smiled and felt tears prick at the back of his throat. She was beautiful.

"You did good, Abs," he murmured.

"She did more than good," added the doctor, and he bent and kissed Abby's forehead through his mask. Gibbs frowned. This couldn't be her doctor. The man straightened up and ripped his mask off. Gibbs stared.

DiNozzo.

"DiNozzo? What are you doing here?"

"Didn't think I'd miss the birth of my first child, did you there, Gibbs?"

His mouth fell open and he stared at Abby.

She smirked and added, "You wanted to meet my baby daddy!"

Gibbs swayed and Tony stepped forward, making sure he wasn't going to faint, before taking his daughter and pressing a kiss to her forehead. Gibbs was still trying to process the information, failed and then crashed to the ground. Abby and Tony looked at him.

"Perhaps lying wasn't the best idea," Abby mused.