Gibbs walked into the bullpen. It was kind of routine, if you can get any routine in this job. He wlk in with a coffee in one hand smacking DiNozzo's head with the other. He was pretty content with everything. He had a beautiful wife (for nearly a year, about to break the record) , a sweet little baby-girl,. He had built up a good team, a computer genius, a great profiler, an extraordinary ME, a unorthodox but incredible forensic specialist and that ex-cop with a good intuition who somehow reminded him on himself. You could say his life was going on very well, suspicious well.

Tony jerked under the headnut. He didn't really mind it. At least he knew that his boss had noticed him. And it was routine. Noone was really surprised by it. He was pretty content with everything. For the first time in his life he had the feeling to belonging somewhere. There was the ME who was like a good-meaning grandfather, the forensic specialist like a little sister, always joking with him, his one co-worker like a little brother you abuse to your favour, his boss, who was more of a father than his real father ever was. And his other co-worker. The friend you actually like more but you never have the courage to step further in fear to destroy what you have. And he had a lot of dates. Those girls never made him complete but hey, it could be worse.

Kate surpressed a laugh at Tony's paun. She was used to it but it still makes her laugh. She sat behind her desk. Everything was going pretty well. She had a great job. It was not only a job it was her life. The ME like the story-telling grandfather, the forensic specialist, her best friend you could steal horses with, the young team mate she actually like but she even liked it more to make him feel unconfident with himself, her boss, much of a father and her other team mate. The charming prince little girls dream of and the bad boy teenager like in one person. In her private life it wasn't going too well but that job repayed her everything.

McGee smirked inside. He didn't dare to show it Tony. It was surely the best time of his life. His co-worker who treated him meanly but actually tried to become some kind of a mentor, his boss, his real mentor, his other co-worker who sometimes even shows a little respect for him and, of course, the forensic specialist, his girlfriend, actually his fiancée but noone knows yet. She let him forget every problem he had at work.

Abby walked into the group of desks. Her engagement ring on her right middle finger was a shining black one in shape of two crossing snakes with diamonds in the eyes. She smiled happily at her fiancé. Her life was great at the moment. The best job on earth, the boss like a father, one co-worker as a protective big brother, the other as a sister and of course the most important person in her life. And when the time was right she'll tell him that there was a baby on the way.

The atmosphere in the room was more than happy. „Life can't be much better!", they all thought.

„Something you want, Abs?" Gibbs tried to sound as hard as ever but he was in a too good mood.
„Nothing particular!" Abby answered smiling even brighter and looking expectingly at McGee. Everybody turned to face him. He looked puzzeled at her.
„Now?" she just nodded.
„Ok, em, well, we have something big to tell you!"
Tony and Kate changed confused looks.
„Are you pregnant, McGee?" Tony joked and Kate giggled.
„No, DiNozzo! Well, Abby and I, we, em, well..."
„We are going to marry!" Abby shouted.
„Abby!" but McGee had no ti e to make his point clear because Kate had started to hug him and Abby and Tony was saying something like „Never thought you would get this far!"
Suddenly Gibbs stood up and everybody fell silent. How was the big boss going to react. He walked straight over at McGee. He grabbed his hand
„I wish yopu two all the best!"he said beaming. Everybbody looked at him in shock.
„I guess that's a reason to celebrate!" he continued smiling.

In the evening they all sat in a fancy restaurant for a little engagement party. Even Gibbs‘ wife Marian was there. She hadn't got a baby sitter on such short notice so she had brought Lily with her. Tony adored the girl. In fact he was the only one who got her stop crying. So he held her all evening.
„Who had ever thought that you're that good with kids, DiNozzo!" teased Kate.
„Well she's a girl, that's why..." he looked surprised at Gibbs. He had stopped an inch before smacking his head. Gibbs swallowed down the comment ant went back to his meal. Abby cleared her troat to show that she had something to say. Everybody stopped talking and eating and faced her.
„Well, at first, I'm very happy that all my friends are here to spent this very special eve with me. And second... I have another news for you! As you all know are Tim and I about to start a life together and now I can tell youthat we start also a family together. Baby..." she turned to McGee who looked confused at her, „...I'm pregnant." Tony and Kate let out a gasp, Gibbs lost hold of his fork. McGee got pale and seemed to faint any second.
„Baby?" Abby looked concered at him., „Are you ok?"
„You're pregnant?"
„Yep!"
„We are going to have a baby?"
„Yep! A little McGee!"
„Terrible thought!", said Tony and earned a punch on the upper arm by Kate.
„Sorry."
McGee still looked shocked, then suddenly his expression changed.
„That's amazing!" he cried out and hugged and kissed the goth. Everybody on the table laughed. Then Marian said „Well, then their child will be about as old as our second." Gibbs looked puzzled.
„You're...?"
Marian just smiled. They all took their glasses and Gibbs said „And steady it goes up!"

�Why are you smiling?" Tony asked when he drove in a cap with Kate.
�Dunno! It's just, the yare so happy! That's nice to see!"
�Yeah, it is!"
�Wow! I never thought that you can think of marriage and children as something else than jail!"
�Well, I think, if it works it can be quite good." he saw her surprissed expression. �For some people!" he added. Suddenly her smile was gone.
�Something wrong?"
�No, no, it's just..."
�That you want the same?!"
She looked at him. She just couldn't read his mind. On the one hand it was annoying her on the other hand that was why he never failed to surprise her. The cap stopped.
�You wanna come in? We could have another drink."
�I would have to call me a cap later!"
�You can sleep on my couch. Please, come in!"
She didn't want to be alone. Not after that evening full of love. Getting back to the empty appartment would take all those great feelings away.
�Kay!" he nodded and payed the driver.

It was after 1 o'clock, three empty whine bottles stood on the coffeetable and they were on the fourth. They competed eachother with stories of miserable dates. Tony was about to win when Kate sighed deeply.
�I give up! You win!"
�There's no need to be sad! It's not that I'm proud of winnig a bad-date contest!"
�It's not that!" Kate said slowly �It's...You wouldn't understand it anyway."
�It's that you feel lonely, unloved and lost in some way?" She looked at him. As she said, he never failed to surprise her.
�You really think I like it to come home to an empty house every night?"
�Come on,Tony! You're not alone every night!"
�Kate, it doesn't matter if I have some girl with me or not, at the end of the night I'm alone."
She never thought of him that way. She never thought that Tony I-slept-with-uncountable-women DiNozzo could feel lonely.
�It's wired, isn't it?"he said pulling her back into reality.
�When you're together with Abby and McGee and Family Gibbs their happiness seems contagious, but the very moment they're gone it's depressing."
Kate had never seen that look in Tony's face. His handsome features were serious. No cocky smile, no sparkling in those incredible eyes of his. She didn't like that expression. It was sad, thoughtful, unhappy, it just didn't fit him. She leant close to him and kissed him gentle. It took a second before he reacted. He put one hand on her waist, the other on her cheek. It was sensation running through Kate. Adrenalin floating through her veins. It was the most intense kiss she ever got. It was too intense. There were too many feelings to deal with. All the feelings in her broke over her like a avalanche. Her eyes filled with tears but not a single one came out. He pulled back and she just looked at him. Asking him with glares.
�We both drank alot. I think we better call that a day and get some sleep!"
It wasn't a question, it wasn't an order. It was just a statement an no arguement in the entire world would change his mind right now. She nodded and left for her bedroom. He lay down on the couch. The kiss was too intens for him too. All the hidden feelings where there now and he had to deal with them, just because of that kiss. Maybe the happiness of the others was contagious but it didn't effect him the way it should. The happiness of them was a decease for him.

TBC