A/N: Well here's the final portion of this story. This part is a little different and veers more into the aftermath of Paraguay and how Tim and Gibbs' relationship is now very different than it was before. I'd say this is more about an observation of that new relationship. Also, we still know very little about how Tim and Delilah met or about her family. How they met and the history of Delilah's is entirely mine until the show tells us differently.

Even without opening her eyes, she knew Tim was having another nightmare. The tiny noises he was making were like alarm bells and would draw her from the soundest sleep. They were the precursor to a full-tilt, horrifying nightmare that would keep him from returning to sleep for hours. It had been a long time since he had one of those nightmares but she still knew what to do.

Reaching out to squeeze his shoulder, she winced as she smacked her hand against something hard.

Jolted awake by the pain, she looked around and realized that she wasn't in their bedroom. She was in the hospital. She had given birth yesterday and she had smacked her hand off the rail of the hospital bed. But if Tim wasn't in the bed with her, where was he?

Tipping her head up, she looked around. The door to hospital room was closed and there was only a small lamp to illuminate the room. In the semi-darkness, she didn't see her husband but she could hear the noises were coming from the corner where she remembered seeing a reclining chair.

She looked around for her chair and found it next to the bed. She would have to disconnect herself from the monitors and lower the bed before she could think about getting into her chair and by that time Tim would be in the throes of his nightmare…

Suddenly she saw a dark form emerge from the ledge near the window. Even though she knew she should be alarmed that some stranger was in her hospital room, she wasn't. She couldn't tell who it was in the darkness, but she had a really good guess. So instead of shouting for a nurse, she watched the dark form make its way over to a chair that was reclined into a bed. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the dark, she could see Tim was twitching slightly under a blanket.

When the dark form reached Tim, it leaned down and squeezed Tim's shoulder. "It's ok Tim," Gibbs said. "I've got you. You're safe."

She watched as Tim immediately calmed at Gibbs' words. Relieved that Gibbs was there for Tim, she leaned back against the pillow but continued to watch as Gibbs held onto Tim's shoulder as the nightmare eased. Every time it seemed like Tim was slipping back into the dream, Gibbs would squeeze his shoulder and whisper calming words.

Slowly Tim woke and looked around in confusion. Gibbs let go as Tim propped himself up on his elbow.

"Boss?" Tim asked, his voice still heavy with sleep.

"You were having a nightmare," Gibbs said.

"I know," Tim replied. "Just can't figure out why you're the one waking me up from it. Where's Delilah?"

She closed her eyes and feigned sleep. Tim would be upset if he knew he woke her.

"Still asleep in her bed," Gibbs said as he turned around to look at her.

She heard the bed creak as Tim looked around Gibbs.

"What time is it?" Tim asked.

"After three," Gibbs replied. "Twins are still sound asleep."

"You've been sitting in that chair for four hours?" Tim asked.

"On the window ledge," Gibbs replied. "The nurse brought me a pillow and a blanket so I could catch some rack time."

She heard the chair creak as Tim sat up further. Cracking an eye, she watched as Tim rubbed his eyes.

"So instead of going home and sleeping in your own bed, you decided to sleep on a hard, narrow window ledge?" Tim asked incredulously.

She watched as Gibbs met Tim's eye. "Said I'd stay and watch over you, didn't I?"

"Actually, you said you'd stay and watch over the twins," Tim pointed out.

Gibbs snorted lightly. "What kind of grandfather watches over his grandkids and ignores their father when he's having a nightmare three feet away?"

She watched as Tim looked at Gibbs in surprise before he nodded. "You have a point. Thanks. That was about to turn into a full-tilt nightmare. Would have scared everyone on the floor if you hadn't woke me."

"You been having nightmares like this a lot?" Gibbs asked. Gibbs tone was even but she heard the concern that was behind the question. Evidently Tim did too because he shifted over and motioned for Gibbs to sit on the bed.

She watched as Gibbs slowly stood and shifted to sit on the edge of the bed. Gibbs nodded gratefully and waited patiently for Tim to gather his thoughts. Tim rubbed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair one more time before he looked back at Gibbs.

"Not recently," Tim replied. "It's been…" Tim paused to think when his last nightmare had been.

She knew it was nineteen days ago. She still could vividly recall his shouts of terror through the bathroom door, where she had been when the nightmare started. But like tonight, it had taken too long to transfer herself back to her chair and into their bedroom to wake him. Thankfully Gibbs had been here to stave off the worst of the nightmare.

"Almost three weeks ago," Tim said finally. "Delilah can usually stop them like you did but she was in the bathroom and it took her a few minutes to wake me."

"Glad I was here then," Gibbs said.

Tim snorted mirthlessly. "Knowing what comes next, me too," Tim replied softly.

"You wanna talk about it?" Gibbs asked.

"Not really," Tim replied. He sighed. "But I probably should."

"Only if you want to," Gibbs said.

She watched as Tim took a moment to pull his thoughts together while Gibbs waited patiently.

She was curious about what he might say. She was pretty certain that Tim still gave her a sanitized version of his dreams and she knew he hadn't told her everything that had happened to them while held in captivity. He probably had repressed many of the memories, but she knew he was holding back in other cases. She just wasn't sure if he didn't want to tell her what happened because he didn't want to scare her or if he didn't think she could handle knowing what he had been through.

But Gibbs was different. Gibbs was the only other person in the world who knew what her husband had gone through. Tim told her he had talked to Gibbs on occasion and a few times his session with Dr. Confalone had spilled into a joint session with Gibbs, who always seemed to have the appointment directly after his no matter what time of the day he scheduled the session.

When she pointed out that there was no such thing as a coincidence, especially with Gibbs, Tim had shrugged. But she knew it was reassuring to him that his boss was accepting help. And taking the appointment directly after Tim was just another way that Gibbs was looking out for Tim.

After Tim had started to see Dr. Confalone, he had begun to open up to her. She had been horrified by some of the things he told her and she hadn't known how best to react. Tim had tried to comfort her and tell her that no one really knew what to say. But even though he meant well, his words hadn't brought her comfort. She was his wife and she wanted to help him. Or at least, she wanted to know how to not make things worse for him.

Ever the analyst, she knew she needed to research. She needed to talk to someone who knew how to talk to someone who had suffered great trauma. She needed to talk to someone who knew what her husband had gone through. So, she did the only thing that made sense: she had made her own appointment with Dr. Confalone.

At first Dr. Grace had been concerned that she had made the appointment to find out what her husband was saying during their sessions. Dr. Confalone had strongly warned her that anything Tim told her was privileged information and that she couldn't break her doctor-patient confidentiality even for a concerned wife. When she finally got a word in edgewise, she told Dr. Confalone she only wanted to know how to talk to her husband about what happened without making the trauma worse. Dr. Confalone had been surprised and more than happy to give her advice on how to help Tim.

"They all start off different," Tim said interrupting her thoughts. "Sometimes we're in the jungle to start. Sometimes we're on the ship. But we're always facing some kind of onslaught from the crew."

"The gauntlet," Gibbs said.

Tim nodded and swallowed hard. "It always feels so real that I'm convinced I'm back in Paraguay. And even when Delilah wakes me, I can never get back to sleep because I'm afraid I'm going to fall back into the dream."

"What about this one?" Gibbs asked.

Tim stared at Gibbs for a moment before he slumped. She wasn't sure how Gibbs knew this dream was different but Tim's reaction told her that he was right.

"This one was different," Tim admitted. "I was on the ship, but I was alone. No crew. No you. I was wandering the corridors looking for anyone, but it was like everyone had just disappeared. It was creepy."

Gibbs nodded.

"But then I went to El Doctor's room," Tim said causing Gibbs to tense.

Tim had mentioned El Doctor a few times and he talked about him more without saying his name. El Doctor was the one responsible for their more creative interrogations. While the crew was largely content to beat them with baseball bats and brass knuckles, his preferred means of torture involved everything from stress positions to electric shock to other less pleasant tactics. And they were always together so that they could witness the other being tortured.

"You woke me just as I was opening the door," Tim said. "Thanks for that."

Gibbs reached out and squeezed Tim's shoulder.

"The last time I had this dream," Tim said heavily.

"Three weeks ago?" Gibbs asked.

Tim nodded. "I wasn't alone that time. I was tied to that hook while I was forced to watch." Tim took a shuddering breath, which implied he had been forced to watch Gibbs being tortured. "That was always worse than being on the table."

"Well yeah," Gibbs said as if it were obvious. "It's easier to take the pain yourself, Tim. It's way worse when you're watching someone you care for being hurt."

"And can't do anything to stop it," Tim finished.

"Yeah," Gibbs said. "Why do you think I antagonized them so damn much? It wasn't because I enjoyed the results of pissing them off."

"I know," Tim replied. "And I knew what you were doing. You were trying to protect me. If you've forgotten, I told you not to do it."

"I didn't forget," Gibbs said softly.

"You ignored me," Tim retorted.

"Because I couldn't watch them, Tim," Gibbs said cutting himself off as his voice wavered.

Gibbs took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. It was a surprisingly emotional moment for the older man and she had never imagined hearing that tone of voice from him. She almost wished she could see Gibbs' face so she could get an idea of what he was thinking. As it was, she couldn't get a feel for Gibbs' thoughts from Tim's face. There wasn't enough light to try to read his expression as Tim waited patiently for Gibbs to collect himself.

Finally, Gibbs let out his breath and continued, "I couldn't bear watching them hurt you."

"I made my choice Gibbs," Tim said firmly. Gibbs started to talk but Tim interrupted. "Just like you made yours. I know you wouldn't have done anything different." Gibbs shook his head. "Even with everything, neither would I. And I'll keep saying that until you stop feeling guilty for my actions."

Gibbs exhaled sharply.

"Yeah, that isn't as easy as it sounds," Gibbs admitted. "Because I'll always remember being stuck there, unable to help." Gibbs paused. "I couldn't protect you from what they were doing. And that was worse than anything else I went through physically."

"Trust me, I know," Tim replied.

Gibbs looked at Tim and there was some kind of silent communication between them. She couldn't tell what they were saying without words but eventually Gibbs continued.

"You shouldn't feel guilty either," Gibbs said.

"You took all those beatings for me…"

"You're telling me you wouldn't have done the same thing you were in my position and if it had been you and Torres? Or you and Bishop?" Gibbs retorted, cutting Tim off. She watched as Tim frowned but didn't contradict Gibbs. "I've seen you do it. Don't know if you realize it though. But you're the senior field agent…"

"We protect our people," Tim finished. "Yeah, ever since Tony left, I think about that all the time. Every time we go into a situation that could be dangerous and even the ones that aren't, I'm always going over the possibilities and I make sure I have a plan in case things go sideways. I know it's my job to watch over the others."

Gibbs nodded approvingly and Tim smiled slightly at his praise.

"Doesn't mean what I did didn't have consequences," Gibbs said. "And guilt cuts deeper than any knife." Tim nodded and swallowed hard. "I know how that feels, Tim. I felt the same way when my antagonizing them backfired and they took it out on you."

She couldn't see Gibbs face since his back was to her, but she could hear the guilt in his voice.

"Considering how much you provoked them, I'm surprised it didn't happen more often," Tim replied.

"Once was too much," Gibbs said, interrupting Tim.

"But as much as it sucked," Tim said stubbornly continuing. "It was worth it Gibbs. If they were hurting me, they weren't hurting you. You had taken more than anyone should have had to take."

She watched as they looked at each other. Their affection for one another was almost palpable to her. Neither vocalized it and she had a feeling that the silent affirmation was as close as they'd ever get to admitting it to one another.

"You're right, I did feel guilty that you were taking the beatings for me," Tim said eventually. "But that wasn't the worst part of being forced to watch. It was the helplessness. I'm used to being able to do something and all I could do is sit there."

"Yeah," Gibbs said in agreement. "I know what you mean." She watched as they sat silently until finally Gibbs asked, "So why that dream? Why today?"

"I don't know," Tim said but he wasn't convincing.

"You know why," Gibbs said firmly. Tim shook his head. "The nightmare," Gibbs said. "You said it's been three weeks since you last had a nightmare. When was the last one before that?"

Nine days before that.

With the exception of that first blissful night, the nightmares had been almost daily after Tim returned home. After two months, the frequency had dropped to every three or four days although she knew the quality of his sleep was just as bad as hers. He was awake every time she came back to bed after having to pee in the middle of the night thanks to one of the twins sitting on her bladder. At the time, she had guessed that Tim was waking himself before the nightmare could set in at least half the time.

But as soon as Tim started to see Dr. Confalone, the nightmares became fewer and farther in between.

"I dunno," Tim replied. "About two weeks before that? That was a different dream though."

"So why now?" Gibbs asked again.

"You trying to be like Dr. Confalone, Boss?" Tim asked trying to deflect.

"Just answer the damn question, Tim," Gibbs said so forcefully that they both turned to look at her, worried that they had woke her up.

But she closed her eyes in time and they apparently turned back to each other. She wasn't exactly fond of the idea of eavesdropping on a very personal conversation but she didn't want to interrupt it either. Tim needed to talk these things out if he ever wanted to get past them.

But she also wasn't above eavesdropping on a conversation that could answer her questions about what her husband had gone through.

"You know the answer," Gibbs said, lowering his voice. "You always know the answer, Tim."

Tim took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She could feel his eyes on her so she continued to feign sleep.

"It's strange, but watching Delilah give birth was a lot like Paraguay," Tim said so softly that she almost didn't hear him. But Tim hadn't lowered his voice to avoid waking her. He was speaking softly because he was having a hard time putting his thoughts to voice. "She was in pain and I couldn't do a thing about it. All I could do was watch… If I could have taken the pain away…"

If she could have leapt across the room to hug her husband, she would have. On one hand, she hated that the birth of their children reminded him of something terrible. But on the other, it was ridiculous and sweet and she made a mental note to give him a great big kiss in the morning. But instead, she settled for cracking an eye to look at him.

Gibbs put his hand on Tim's leg.

"Yeah, I can see how you'd feel like that," Gibbs said gently. "Shannon was in labor for eighteen hours with Kelly. Longest eighteen hours of my life. But you ask Delilah and I'll bet you she'll tell you it was worth every second."

She almost spoke up and told Gibbs that he was right but she didn't want to interrupt their moment.

"I know," Tim replied. "And thoughts of Paraguay went away the moment they handed her John. Her face lit up, Gibbs. It was amazing to see. Even when she started into labor with Morgan, she was smiling."

She thought back to her labor, but it was all a blur right now. She knew there had been pain since her doctor hadn't wanted to give her an epidural because of her injury. Of course, she also had only limited feeling below her hips, so an epidural wasn't exactly necessary. But there had been pain or at least really heavy pressure. It was hard to describe.

It felt as if it had taken an age for John to be born but it felt like a blink of an eye before she had been handed Morgan. She'd have to take Tim's word that she was smiling the second time around. And at least she hadn't broken his fingers like Breena.

"I don't know how she does it boss," Tim said. "I don't have a tenth of her strength."

"You're stronger than you think, Tim," Gibbs replied. "You always have been."

"I know. Which means that Delilah is an amazing woman," Tim said. "Every day she amazes me, Gibbs."

"I know what you mean," Gibbs said softly, clearly thinking of Shannon. "Do you talk to her about these dreams?" Gibbs asked.

"Hasn't been an issue lately," Tim replied honestly. "But sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't. I don't always remember the dream."

"Just the terror that comes with it," Gibbs said softly.

"Yeah," Tim said, realizing that he and his boss had the same problem. "When I tell Dee that, I don't think she believes me. It doesn't help that before I started to see Dr. Confalone I wasn't telling Dee much even though she asked."

"You were trying to protect her from the truth," Gibbs said.

"A little," Tim admitted. "But mostly, I couldn't make myself talk about what happened," Tim replied. "It was hard enough going through it once. Reliving it through the nightmares wasn't any easier. Talking about it was out of the question, especially before I started to see Dr. Confalone. I was trying to protect myself."

She closed her eyes. It had driven her crazy that Tim wouldn't talk to her. She recognized that it wasn't an easy thing to discuss but she had always assumed that Tim was trying to protect her. She hadn't considered he was trying to protect himself.

"At the time, saying I couldn't remember was an easy excuse," Tim continued. "But now when I say that, she doesn't believe me even when it's true."

"Have you told her this?" Gibbs asked.

Tim shrugged. "With everything with the baby…" Tim stopped and looked to the bassinet. "Babies," he corrected. "We've been focusing on trying to get ready. Honestly, Paraguay hasn't come up probably since my last nightmare. And that's been nice. I finally feel like things are getting back to normal."

Gibbs snorted. "After yesterday, normal has been shot to hell, McGee. There isn't anything normal once you have a kid, let alone two at once."

"Tell me about it," Tim said. "If you're looking for a metaphor, dreaming about being alone on a ship would seem to be a pretty obvious one."

"Except you aren't alone, Tim," Gibbs said. "Never were. You and Delilah are in this together." Tim nodded. "And you've got your friends." Tim nodded again. "And your family."

"And what about you?" Tim asked.

Gibbs stared at Tim. "Didn't I say you had your family?"

"Yeah but…"

"You rescinding your offer to be grandpa Gibbs?" Gibbs asked with amusment.

"Of course not," Tim said hastily. "Just wasn't sure you had accepted it," Tim said. Gibbs must have given Tim a funny look because Tim quickly retorted, "After two months together, I've gotten better at figuring out what you're trying to say without talking, Gibbs. But I still can't read your mind!"

Gibbs snorted.

"Consider it accepted," Gibbs said as he patted Tim's leg. "You might regret inviting me into your family though."

"I doubt that," Tim replied.

"Get some sleep Tim," Gibbs said.

"I'm not sure I can," Tim said, his voice suddenly uncertain.

"You can rest easy Tim," Gibbs said. "I'm not going anywhere." Tim looked at Gibbs skeptically. "I've got a pillow and a blanket. That's a step up from racking out on my basement floor."

"You sleep on your basement floor?" Tim asked incredulously. "You didn't get enough of sleeping on a steamer floor?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Been a while since I did that but I used to fall asleep working on my boat." Gibbs rubbed his neck. "Not easy to forget though, especially after sleeping on the floor of steamer for two months."

Tim snorted.

"Thanks, Gibbs," Tim said genuinely.

"Any time," Gibbs said as he got up. Tim eased back down and tried to pull the blanket back into place. But Gibbs grabbed it and tucked him in. "Night, McGee."

"Night boss," Tim replied, his voice already heavy with sleep.

Gibbs stood over Tim and watched him for a moment before he crossed the room and checked on the twins. As Gibbs turned around to look at her, she caught his eye. Gibbs smiled slightly as she silently mouthed, 'thank you.'

She looked back at her husband and once she was confident that he was sleeping, she looked back to Gibbs. She made a mental note to find a way to bring up Paraguay with Tim. They would have plenty to talk about and she had at least one apology to make.

"Didn't mean to wake you," Gibbs said softly as he made his way to her side.

"You didn't," she said as she looked at Tim. Gibbs followed her gaze and nodded. She motioned to the chair next to the bed. Once Gibbs was seated, she said, "I'm well aware of what comes next when Tim makes those noises in his sleep. Took me a while to figure out that squeezing his shoulder calms him and banishes the nightmare. Now I know why that works."

Gibbs smiled sadly and she wondered how many times Gibbs had comforted her husband during their imprisonment.

Tim had opened up after he started to see Dr. Confalone and it broke her heart to know what her husband had gone through. Systemic starvation, deprivation, and degradation had taken a toll. And then El Doctor had gone to work on them. Physical torture left them with injuries that they had to attempt to treat in their cell. But that was nothing compared to the mental torture of being forced to watch a friend in pain. Tim had admitted that even Gibbs had suffered from nightmares during their time in captivity.

Tim had explained that all it took to calm his boss had been a simple squeeze of his shoulder. That's when she knew she had a way to calm Tim's nightmares. She had never been happier and unhappier at the same time when she discovered the simple motion worked. But now that she looked at Gibbs, she wondered how he dealt with the nightmares without someone to offer him comfort.

"His talks with Dr. Confalone have really helped," she said. "He wasn't lying when he said it had been weeks since his last nightmare."

Gibbs looked at Tim and nodded. "She's good at what she does," he said. "She's helped me a lot too," Gibbs added when he saw her concern.

"I'm glad you were here to calm him before it got worse. I don't think I could have gotten there fast enough, although it is easy to get around now," she said as she motioned to her much-deflated belly. She was sore from labor but moving around was much easier now.

She looked at him questioningly.

"Stopped by to drop off Tim's badge," Gibbs replied. "He left it with his clothes when he changed into the scrubs."

She glanced at the clock. It was almost four o'clock. She wondered how late her husband had be awake…

"Came by around ten. He's been asleep since almost eleven," Gibbs answering her unasked question. "Had to force him to lay down. He wanted to keep an eye on the babies so you could get your sleep."

She smiled fondly at Tim. It was like him to want to let her get her rest, especially after hours of childbirth. And it was like him to sacrifice his own well-being for hers. Yet again, she wondered how she had gotten so lucky to have Tim in her life.

"I take it, you offered to stay a while and so he would fall asleep," she said. He nodded. "That's sweet of you Gibbs."

"I was just going to stay to keep an eye on the babies until he fell asleep but I fell asleep too," he said bashfully. "Laid down on the windowsill to stretch my legs. Was half asleep when the nurse dropped off the blanket and pillow."

She looked past him and noticed a blanket balled up at the one side and a pillow on the other. The ledge wasn't very big.

"Not the worst place I've ever fallen asleep," Gibbs replied. She immediately opened her mouth to apologize but Gibbs continued, "Woke up on the floor of my basement more than a few times after a late night working on my boat."

"You really build boats in your basement?" she asked incredulously. Gibbs nodded. "I thought Tim was joking with me." Gibbs shook his head. "How do you get them out when you're done?"

"Break the bottle," Gibbs said with a sly smile.

"That doesn't make any sense," she said but before Gibbs could reply, one of the twins began to fuss. Gibbs stood up and checked on the crying baby as she pulled herself further upright in bed. She watched anxiously as Gibbs leaned over the bassinet.

"Diaper change," Gibbs said.

"On the shelf," she said pointing under the bassinet.

Gibbs grabbed everything and brought John over to the bed. She smiled appreciatively as he lay the baby on the bed between her legs. As she changed the diaper, Gibbs handed her each item before she could ask and when she was done, he handed her a wipe to clean her hands.

"Thanks," she replied. "I can tell you've done this a time or two."

Gibbs smiled as he disposed of the dirty diaper and washed his hands.

"That's better isn't it," she said as she looked at John. She picked up John and cradled him in her arms. John immediately tried to latch onto her through the hospital gown. She frowned. Her appointment with the lactation nurse wasn't until the morning…

"The nurse dropped off two more bottles of formula to get through the night," Gibbs said. She looked at him, wondering how he knew what she was thinking. "If there's one thing I remember about newborns, they pretty much eat, sleep and soil diapers."

She held out her hand. Gibbs smiled as he picked up the bottle that was in a bottle warmer. He gave it a good shake before he held it in his hand to test the temperature. When he was satisfied that it wasn't too warm, he handed it to her.

"It's surreal," she said as she watched John eat. "Even though I was pregnant and I could feel them inside of me, it still doesn't feel real that they're here."

"That won't wear off for a while," Gibbs said as he sat down next to her.

"I used to scoff at people who said babies are a miracle but now that I've had them, I completely understand what they meant," she said. "I grew two people, Gibbs. Two tiny, beautiful, perfect people."

Gibbs chuckled.

"Yeah," he said as he smiled at her then at John. Gibbs always looked younger than his age but as he smiled at John, he looked years younger than his sixty some years of age. The stern demeanor was gone and she saw the softer side of her husband's boss. It was a nice change from the gruff demeanor she usually got to see. "You did."

"With everything going on, it feels like everything has happened so fast," she said. "I never suspected I was pregnant until I passed out. Then we find out we're having twins? A week ago, we thought there was only one baby." She smiled as she looked at Tim again. "Tim stayed up all night to put together a second crib. We don't even have room for the first one in our apartment!"

"You still haven't found a place yet?" Gibbs asked.

"No," she replied. "We have such specific needs that there isn't much to choose from. A lot of homes with the space we need are multi-level." Gibbs nodded in understanding. "We've looked at a couple places but haven't found anything we liked. It doesn't help that I didn't do much looking this summer," she said as she glanced at Gibbs. "I was busy looking for something more important. And since Tim came home, we've had other things to focus on like his recovery, both physical and mental, and preparing for the baby."

Gibbs winced.

"You've had a lot more to worry about than the average expecting mother," Gibbs said softly.

She looked at Gibbs. He was looking at Tim. Guilt was emanating from him in waves. Tim might have told him to stop feeling guilty but she knew that didn't make the guilt go away. She had lost count of how many times she told Tim to stop feeling guilty that he missed some of the baby milestones or that he had caused her to worry for two months.

"Yeah and my husband was missing for two months too," she said catching his attention. "We've been over this Gibbs. I don't blame you for what you did and you shouldn't blame yourself for Tim getting off that helicopter."

"He got off that helo because of me," Gibbs said softly. "He went through two months of hell because of me. You went through two months of hell because of me."

"And because of you," she said pointing to both Gibbs and her husband. "Three boys were saved from being forced to become murderers, a dangerous terrorist has been stopped and a terrorist organization stealing uranium has been dismantled." Gibbs frowned. "It's our job to stop bad guys, Gibbs."

"This wasn't exactly in the scope of our mission," Gibbs countered.

"Maybe not," she said as she shook her head. "But there's the scope of the mission and there's what's right," she retorted. Gibbs nodded in concession. "Did you know that Tim stood me up on our first date?" she asked.

Gibbs shook his head. "Tim never told me how you two met," Gibbs said.

"We met when I was stood up on a blind date," she said to his surprise. "But that's a different story. After we first met, we tried to get together for a real date but with our schedules it took two weeks to find a time we could meet for dinner. But when I went to the restaurant, Tim never showed and he never sent a message that he had to cancel."

"That's not like him," Gibbs said.

"At the time, I didn't know that," she said smiling fondly at the memory. "Eventually I got a cryptic message about having to go out of town for work. It was a week before Tim contacted me again. I was so angry, I almost didn't meet him when he asked."

"But you did," Gibbs said.

She looked at John and nodded. "My roommate at the time convinced me to hear him out. Turns out you and Tim had gone to Afghanistan to catch the man who had murdered a Marine dog handler." Gibbs smiled. "I never suspected he was an armed Federal Agent when we first met, but I really admired that about him. It's one of the many things that I love about Tim. He's not afraid to do the right thing even if it puts himself in danger and I've known that about him from the start."

"It's different now," Gibbs said as he looked at John.

"Actually, I think it's more important now that he continues to do his job," she said as she looked at their son. "We both want our kids to grow up in a world that's safe." She looked at Gibbs. "I'll never like that he has to put himself in danger but it's a lot easier to accept because I trust you and I trust Ellie and Nick to keep him safe."

She watched as Gibbs opened his mouth to reply but no words came out. From the slight glint in his eye, she could tell he was touched by her words.

Suddenly, Morgan began to fuss. She looked down at John. He was still eating. Then she looked at the bassinet and Tim. Tim was still sleeping, and she didn't want to wake him…

"I got this," Gibbs said with a smile.

"Thank you," she said in relief.

She watched as Gibbs quickly changed Morgan's diaper and then picked up the baby girl to sooth her. He also grabbed the bottle as he returned to the chair. Soon, Morgan was happily eating.

Suddenly Gibbs chuckled.

"This is what happened when I stopped by to talk with Tim," he said as he smiled down at the baby girl. "Only in reverse," he added as he pointed to the babies.

"We're going to have our hands full," she said a little nervously. It was hard enough as a new parent to a single baby. But they'll have twice the work, twice the problems and she felt like she didn't know anything about raising a child…

"You'll do fine," Gibbs said interrupting her before she could work herself up. "Doing pretty good right now."

"That's easy for you to say," she said with a smile. "We're still in the hospital. The hard part is once we step out those doors. Unless you want to stop over and take the three am feedings?" She looked at Gibbs. He was smiling at Morgan as she ate. "Somehow, I don't think you'd mind that."

Gibbs chuckled. "Maybe once in a while," he replied.

"You're welcome any time Gibbs," she replied. He nodded even as he focused on Morgan. "Did Tim tell you about John's middle name?"

Gibbs looked at her.

"He did," Gibbs replied. "I'm honored and my dad would be too."

"I wanted to go with Jethro but Tim knew right away you wouldn't want that," she said. "He said you'd be quick to downplay your influence."

"Tim did all the hard work," Gibbs replied.

"You just pointed him in the right direction and led by example," she countered.

Gibbs chuckled. "Tim said something similar."

"After five years, I've got a pretty good idea of how my husband thinks," she replied with a smile as John finished his bottle.

She set the bottle to the side and carefully burped her son. When she was done, she settled him onto her chest to sleep off his meal.

"And after fifteen years and two months confined together, he's got a pretty good idea of how you think," she added. "I still had to point out that you think of him as a son though just like he sees you as a father figure. He tried to deny it but he knew I was right." Gibbs smiled slightly. "But I think that's a guy thing."

"Maybe," Gibbs conceded. "Probably more complicated for him than you'd think."

"Oh, I know he's conflicted by it," she said. "He's looked up to you since he joined your team fifteen years ago and you've been such a big influence on him. And since his father is gone, he feels guilty because wanting that kind of relationship with you makes him feel like he's trying to replace his own father. But at the same time, he needs that kind of relationship."

"I guess it is as complicated as you'd think," Gibbs said with a light chuckle.

"I'm an analyst, Gibbs," she said. Gibbs nodded. "I'm sure it's just as complicated for you too. Maybe not as much as if would have been if Tim were a woman."

Gibbs smiled sadly.

"I dunno," Gibbs said slowly. "Still reminds me of the things Kelly never got to do. She never grew up and found someone who loves her as much as Tim loves you. She never got to start a family of her own."

"You never got to hold your grandchildren?" she asked. He nodded. She motioned to Morgan. "Well your grandchildren would beg to differ."

"Don't tell me you named Morgan after me too," Gibbs said, making a joke to deflect away from the emotional implication. Even in the dim light, she could see the tears threatening to form.

"Well Morgan Gibbs McGee did have a nice right to it," she said with a laugh. "But she's named after my grandmother. Morgan Mae McGee. She was my biggest influence. She was a cryptographer in the Army during World War II."

"Sounds like a smart woman," Gibbs said.

"She was," she said fondly as she thought of her grandmother. "And she never let my grandfather get away with anything." Gibbs chuckled at the parallels. "She would have liked Tim too. She would have said I won the lottery with him."

"Pretty sure Tim feels the same with you," Gibbs said. "So much so it scares him. He knows what it feels like to almost lose you."

"That feeling is mutual," she replied. She watched as Gibbs winced with guilt again. "But I know that isn't the only thing that scares him. He's scared that he's going to be like his father."

Gibbs snorted lightly. "Not gonna happen," Gibbs replied. "Yeah, he's going to screw up, every parent does. But he's not going to be like the Admiral. Not with you and not with…"

"You?" she interrupted.

Gibbs looked at her and eventually he nodded.

"I missed out on too much," Gibbs said as he looked down at Morgan. "Not just with Kelly. With my dad too. I won't let him make the same mistakes I did."

She smiled.

"Isn't that what it means to be a parent?" she asked. "I realize I'm still new to this whole mom thing but don't we try to teach our kids so they don't make the same mistakes we did?"

Gibbs shrugged lightly as he set the bottle aside and burped Morgan. When he was through, he settled her into his arms again.

"Suppose it is," Gibbs said finally. "Not sure I know how to parent a grown adult though."

"That's all right," Delilah said. "Tim doesn't know how to be an adult son either. But I'm pretty sure after everything you two have gone through over the years, you know how to work with each other. And I'd say that's a pretty good start."

"And what about you?" Gibbs asked. "Tim said your father is gone too."

She smiled sadly and nodded. "He died while my sister and I were in high school. Car accident. Mom remarried a few years ago and Gary is a great guy but…"

"He's not your dad," Gibbs finished.

"No," she replied. "But it did bring my mom, me and my sister closer together. I know I have them still. And my mother has been offering parenting advice since she found out I was pregnant. I may be glad that she and Gary moved back to Minnesota after they were certain I had recovered from my accident."

"No, you won't," Gibbs said.

She smiled. "No," she replied. "But she's only a phone call away and I wouldn't be surprised if she convinces Gary to move back once she sees these two," she said causing Gibbs to chuckle lightly.

She looked down at the sleeping baby on her chest. John had managed to get his arm free from his blanket and he was holding on tightly to her hospital gown. His eyes were closed, and he was sound asleep. And she was surprised by how natural it felt even though this was only the second time she had ever done it.

Even after being pregnant, it was still hard to think of herself as a mother. It was surreal that she was holding her son.

She examined his features from his tiny little fingernails to his ears and his nose. Even though he was sleeping now, she knew that John had Tim's eyes. It had been the first thing she had noticed about the baby when she held him for the first time. She hoped that John would grow up to have his father's courage, compassion and intelligence too.

Glancing over at Gibbs, she saw that the older man was looking at Morgan with a slight smile on his face.

"We're going to have a hard time convincing you to leave, aren't we?" she asked dryly. Gibbs looked at her. "Should we look for a house with an extra bedroom and a basement workshop?"

Gibbs chuckled.

"Naw," Gibbs said even though he was smiling. "You need your own space." Gibbs looked down at the baby girl. "But as long as you've got a couch, I'm good."

"Or a windowsill?" she asked.

Gibbs glanced at Tim and nodded. "You do what you need to for family."

"Can't argue with that," she replied as they looked at the children in their arms.