Chapter 6: A different kind of heritage

The next morning dawned bright and early, the slowly rising sun bathing Halliwell Manor with warm rays of light. Gray clouds dotted the azure sky, obscuring the sun from time to time behind their wispy forms and by that darkening the horizon like an omen.

It matched Tony's mood perfectly. While he was relieved that he wouldn't have to hide his secret anymore from Gibbs and the rest of the team, he was a little bit scared how they would react. Abby would be the easiest to convince, her own style of living being proof of her open-mindedness to everything bizarre. Tony smiled faintly when he envisioned her bouncing with excitement and curiousity to see evidence for her belief of the existence of the paranormal. He had no reason to be wary of her reaction to the news.

Ducky would be a bit more skeptical, like McGee. But both men were open-minded as well. Ducky's way of knowing a story or anecdote to every strange thing the NCIS team had encountered over the years Tony had worked with the ME assured the young man, that the doctor would accept the news, too. And McGee had an Elf Lord as an online persona, so there should be enough flexibility of mind that he would come to terms with the revelation about his fellow agent's hidden abilities. Tony wasn't really worried, because Abby had introduced the 'Probie' to some of her world and McGee still lived.

Kate and Gibbs were another matter altogether. Special Agent Caitlyn Todd had been raised strictly Catholic and sometimes she didn't seem able to simply let a matter go which contradicted her upbringing and beliefs. But nonetheless Tony viewed his partner as an understanding and kind woman. She always met him tit for tat, living up to everything Tony liked about a person. She was a real friend, an older sister of some sort. The young man really hoped that she would display this trait of her character again, when she realized that her colleague had hidden such a big part of himself from her.

And Gibbs.

Tony sighed and closed his eyes, wishing with all his heart that his boss would accept him even with his magic and didn't think of him as some kind of freak after this day's revelations. He wasn't sure he would survive being rejected by the silver-haired man whom he had let so deep into his heart and soul; didn't think he could endure to see anger or coldness directed at him from the beautiful deep blue eyes of the older agent. Tony needed Gibbs as his friend, needed to be considered the ex-marine's best agent, his second-in-command. Even if the Italian had resigned himself to never be more than that to the older man, Tony wasn't sure what he would do if Gibbs would take away the strength and support their friendship gave him.

Deep in his contemplation of what the reaction of his teammates would be, Tony failed to realize that he was watched. Phoebe leaned in the doorway to the nursery and observed her cousin. Her empathy caught on his anxious and troubled emotions, his almost desperate hope to be accepted by his friends despite the startling news they would learn of later this day. It made her realize how deeply committed Tony was to his team, how emotionally dependent a part of him had become of the friendship of those five persons Phoebe and her family finally got to know the other day.

Sighing inaudibly and shaking her head at Tony's uncharacteristic nervousness, Phoebe left her observing position and silently went over to the crib Chris was laying in. When the baby saw her, he gurgled happily and waved his little arms. The young woman smiled down at her nephew and carefully picked him up. Rocking Chris slightly in her arms, Phoebe moved towards Tony, who sat on the small couch in the nursery. The young Italian often spent time with Chris and Wyatt when he visited the Halliwells, being deeply committed to the two youngest members of his family. Phoebe thought that the unconditional love and acceptance both boys showed Tony soothed him whenever he was troubled - she knew it always had that effect on her.

Phoebe stopped in front of her cousin and placed Chris in his lap. For a moment both the baby and Tony seemed startled, Chris by the change of location and his 'uncle' because he hadn't heard Phoebe coming into the room. Then the young man looked down into his lap and had to smile at the cute sight of Piper's and Leo's second son.

Chris' green eyes gazed curiously up at him, lighting up in joy when Tony tickled his sides lightly. The little boy giggled first, then squealed in outright delight when Tony continued his tickle-attack. A minute or so later the young man eased up on his tickling and smoothed soft curls of dark hair back from the baby's forehead before leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to Chris' head.

Tony's eyes were full of tenderness and warmth, his whole attention focused on his 'nephew', who beamed up at him with an expression of radiant innocence and joy. Tiny hands reached out for the young agent and the baby leaned into him, hugging as much of Tony's body as his little arms could get. His heart melting at Chris' action and the instinctive trust and love it implied, Tony carefully enfolded the small boy in his arms and gently stroked his back.

"You are a born father, Tony", Phoebe suddenly made herself known again. She had watched the interaction between her cousin and Chris and smiled at the easy affection between them. Like Wyatt Chris had accepted Tony without any fuss, feeling his 'uncle's' warm heart and gentle soul. Both little boys had never used their protective shield against Tony, not even at the first time when they hadn't known him. They seemed to instinctively view him as another protector, no threat. And Tony had fallen in love with both of them at first sight, loving to play with Wyatt and care for Chris to give Piper and Leo a rest.

Tony looked up at Phoebe's words and smiled a little, Chris' presence in his arms making him relax. Like his cousin had planned to, wanting to take Tony's thoughts away from his fretting about his teammates' possible reactions and easing his nervousness by giving him someone else to think about. Phoebe knew that Tony would always put the wellbeing of his family and his friends before his own problems - and right now she had no qualms about using that knowledge to relax her beloved cousin by giving him Chris to care for.

Sitting down next to Tony on the small couch, Phoebe nodded empathically, when the young Italian asked: "Do you really think so, Phee?" She laid her head on Tony's broad shoulder and reached out to softly stroke Chris' fine hair, making the baby look at her and beam happily. Phoebe felt Chris' delight at being in the presence of two of his favourite people, his joy at the warmth and love directed at him. The little boy instinctively felt safe with Tony and Phoebe, knowing that they wouldn't let anybody harm him.

"I am sure you are, Tony. Look at Chris…how comfortable and happy he is with you. He can feel your love, how protective you are of him. For him you are a strong, but always gentle presence", Phoebe explained her former declaration of her cousin's qualities as a father.

Tony relaxed even further into the couch, his protective embrace around Chris shifting to assure the baby was comfortable on his chest. The small boy snuggled into him, his head directly over Tony's heart. Phoebe smiled at the cute sight from her position on Tony's shoulder and commented: "Look. He's listening to your heartbeat."

The young agent followed Phoebe's gaze and saw that Chris had closed his eyes contentedly, his small body totally relaxed. Tony felt his heart swell with love - not only for this small child who trusted him unconditionally. His deep feelings were directed at Phoebe as well. Once more she had known how to ease his nervousness and conflicted emotions within mere minutes, thereby showing the strength of the bond they shared. Tony knew, that whatever would happen later when they told his teammates of their secret, he would always be loved by his family.

Turning his head sideways the young man kissed Phoebe on the hair and whispered: "I love you, Phee." The deep commitment and love in his voice was entwined with heartfelt thankfulness for Phoebe's action. The young woman only smiled warmly and answered: "Love you too." Then she scolded him lightly: "You shouldn't fret about what could happen, Tony. Your friends care for you very deeply…they will be alright with our secret. So stop worrying."

Tony sighed and slouched against his cousin. "I really hope you are right, Phee. I don't want to lose them over this…and I don't want you getting into trouble with the Elders for telling Gibbs and the others about your magic. I still can't believe you decided to reveal to them that you are witches…"

Phoebe interrupted Tony by nudging him gently with her ellbow, careful of the resting baby in his arms. "Well, call it extraordinary circumstances, but we think everything which will likely happen soon will be easier for you to handle if you don't have to hide from your teammates. They came to San Francisco on the suspicion of you being in danger, which isn't far from the truth. But they don't know about the kind of danger you are in, Tony. Which makes them worry even more and all of them - but especially Agent Gibbs - are getting very protective."

Phoebe saw Tony's green eyes lighting up at the mentioning of being the center of Gibbs' protective instincts and smiled to herself. If her cousin only knew! Special Agent Gibbs held so many more feelings for the young Italian inside himself - love being the strongest, but at the same time most carefully hidden emotion. She hoped, that the coming events would bring all those feelings to light. Tony might need all the love he could get to fulfill his destiny.

For the next fifteen minutes Tony and Phoebe simply leaned against each other in silence, savouring their easy companionship. They had always had some kind of emphatic understanding of each other, being alike in their view of other persons and the world in general.

Then the ringing of the frontdoor bell disturbed the peace which had decended over the two cousins and the baby. Tony, who had let his thoughts roam on their own, stiffened for a moment before sighing and relaxing again. "It's time", he said quietly. But when Phoebe lifted her head from his shoulder and regarded him a bit worriedly, the young Italian smiled at her. "I am ready, Phee. Well", he amended with a rueful shake of his head when his cousin arched an eyebrow, "I am prepared for the worst, but hoping for the best."

Phoebe looked at her cousin for a moment, concentrating on her empathy. She could feel that he was still slightly nervous, but that was to be expected. After all, you didn't tell your friends every day, that you have hidden an important part of yourself from them. And the concept of magic was controversial to say the least. But Tony was a lot more composed and emotionally stable than before, the quiet minutes with Chris and her keeping him company having calmed the young man. Nodding to herself, Phoebe stood up. Tony was ready to face his friends about their family's secret.

The young Italian followed his cousin out of the nursery, Chris held securely in his arms. The small boy had awakened due to Tony's movements, but simply snuggled into him. Together the three went downstairs to greet Tony's team, which had been let in by now.

Gibbs, Ducky and the rest of the team had been ushered into the living-room by Leo, who then went to gather his wife and the rest of his family. The NCIS agents meanwhile found themselves inspected by light blue eyes. Wyatt had been sitting in his favourite armchair, playing with his father until the door bell rang. The three year old boy now curiously watched the strangers, who had been led into the room. When his father left him alone with the five people after a kiss on his head, Wyatt knew that they were friendly.

At first they seemed kind of surprised to see him, but then an elderly man with glasses smiled kindly. Wyatt decided that he liked him, his patient aura. Switching his focus towards the two women, the young boy stared wholly fascinated at the younger one of them. He had never seen someone dressed that strangely before. But her aura was bright and warm, indicating a gentle soul. The young woman's presence reminded Wyatt of his uncle Tony.

But then the boy concentrated on the man with the silver hair who now stepped forward and crouched down in front of him, bringing their eyes to the same level. Wyatt blinked, impressed by the sense of controlled power the man exuded. Almost as if he had magic in him. The silver-haired man's eyes were a darker shade of blue than his own, piercing and strong. But Wyatt wasn't frightened, because he could feel no malice inside him.

The young boy cocked his head to the side, not knowing how adorable that made him look. But the man's blue eyes warmed and a small smile softened his stern features, when he slowly reached out a hand towards him and said: "Hello, young man."

Hesitating only for a second, Wyatt grasped the bigger hand and then smiled at the stranger. Now in physical contact with the man, his natural empathy let him know the older one's emotions. And he felt only kindness directed at him, which made him feel safe. "Hi", he grinned. "I am Wyatt."

The silver-haired man's smile widened and he carefully tightened his grip on Wyatt's little hand to shake it. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Wyatt. I am Jethro", he introduced himself. Shifting slightly he then pointed at the other people, which had come with him and now smiled at Wyatt in greeting. "And that are Abby, Kate, Tim and Ducky. We work with Tony."

When he mentioned Tony, Gibbs saw a happy light appear in the young boy's eyes. It was obvious that Wyatt loved the Italian, which didn't amaze him for a second. Tony had so much warmth and gentleness inside him, that almost everyone liked him. And children had this infallible instinct when it came to trusting people.

"It seems as if you all passed the test", a deep smooth voice made itself known, making everyone turn around. Gibbs remained crouched in front of Wyatt, who still held onto his hand, but now beamed with obvious joy at the person who leaned in the doorway. Tony.

Gibbs felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of his fellow agent. The young Italian was dressed in tight, worn black jeans, which shaped his long legs very nicely. An emerald green shirt accented his eyes and didn't hide his well-muscled frame. He was gorgeous. But what made Gibbs' breath hitch slightly just now wasn't Tony's physical beauty. It was the emotion in the forest-green eyes, when the young man looked at him and Wyatt. The warmth in those beautiful depths made it difficult for Gibbs to hide his own feelings from his second-in-command.

It was Abby who broke the trance which had fallen. The young goth bounded over to her friend and smiled at the baby he held securely in his arms. "Tony, he is adorable", she exclaimed quietly, making funny faces at Chris. Then she switched her gaze between Tony and his cute burden, teasing her friend: "Something you want to confess? This young man sure looks comfortable in your arms." The young Italian just smiled down at Chris in response, who regarded Abby with wide curious green eyes, which were only a shade lighter than Tony's. Abby was right; together they really made a very cute picture, at ease with each other.

It made Gibbs' heart clench, because even if he knew from their investigation of the Halliwells that the baby in Tony's arms wasn't his but Leo's and Piper's, he could so easily picture Tony as a father. The careful and loving way he cradled the baby to his chest as if it was the most precious thing in the world spoke volumes about how Tony would treat a child of his own. It caused Gibbs to love Tony even more, but at the same time he felt pain at the knowledge that he would never be able to give his second something that beautiful.

Lost in his thoughts and watching Tony introduce the baby to his teammates, Gibbs was a bit startled when suddenly small arms wrapped around him. Looking down the silver-haired man blinked when Wyatt continued to hug him, but instinctively closed his own arms around the boy to hold him safe. Gibbs didn't see the smiles on Leo's and Piper's faces, who had watched him since Tony had come into the room and now felt relieved that their eldest son accepted Tony's teammates. He didn't knew that Wyatt was satisfied to ease the flash of pain he had felt coming from his uncle's friend and that the young boy grew attached to him because he could feel the deep love Gibbs held in his heart for the Italian. All Gibbs knew was that he suddenly felt more at peace because of the small child in his arms who seemingly had decided to like him. And it was enough.

After everyone had duly admired the two youngest Halliwells Tony's teammates settled down on the couch and looked more or less questioning, when they realized the slight tension in Tony and his family. Gibbs, who had relented when Wyatt had demonstrated the wish to be placed on his lap and now held the boy securely within his arms, locked his gaze on his fellow agent. Tony didn't appear troubled like yesterday, more…nervous.

Gibbs blinked inwardly. Why would Tony be nervous in the company of his team? The young man knew that Gibbs would never force him to give up a secret he had sworn to keep. Yes, he would demand answers if he thought it really necessary, but didn't his second know that he would never deliberately cause him unease or even pain?

It was Piper's voice which finally broke the silence which had descended over the group. The young woman exchanged a long look with her husband and after Leo's encouraging nod visibly squared her shoulders. This caused not only Gibbs to come to more attention and favor her with a questioning look. But before any of the agents could ask her what was wrong, Piper held up a hand and began.

"Your unexpected visit yesterday", the brown-haired woman said slowly, regarding Gibbs and the rest of the team one by one with her intelligent eyes, "caused a bit of…trouble. We are aware that you would like to know why Tony never told you about us and that the information you likely gathered about us is…confusing at best. The fact that you thought we had kidnapped Tony shows that." She sighed deeply, which made Phoebe reach out to her sister and squeeze her shoulder in support.

The two women exchanged a somewhat serious smile, then Phoebe continued: "Well, usually we wouldn't tell strangers anything about us. But you are Tony's friends, his team - and that in itself makes all of you special." This caused pleased, but startled looks to appear on the faces of the NCIS team and Phoebe smiled, before she said: "Tony trusts you and that's why we decided last night to tell you about our secret. But I have to demand that you promise you'll never talk about this to anybody else. In fact, you'll have to swear it."

When Phoebe's voice trailed off, Gibbs' eyes narrowed at her. He didn't like to be forced to take an oath - and on something he didn't knew the content of. Kate seemed similarly confused and hesitant, whereas Abby simply nodded. She trusted Tony with her life and knew he would never demand anything from her she wouldn't want to give. McGee looked startled, but didn't seem adverse to take the vow. As was Ducky.

Finally Tony said quietly: "Nobody will force any of you to do something you don't want to. But I promise that the information you collected about my cousins from the FBI is…maybe not wrong in the dry fact, but wrong in the context. The feds lack vital information. I can assure you that Piper, Paige, Phoebe and Leo have never done anything to deliberately harm an innocent. The vow you are asked to take isn't meant to protect them from getting into trouble because of a crime they committed, I promise you that."

Silence descended once more after Tony's quietly, but passionately spoken words. The young Italian's green eyes locked with Gibbs' blue ones and silently pleaded for acceptance. And the silver-haired man couldn't say no to the plea and finally nodded curtly. Centering his sharp gaze on Piper, he said: "I swear on my honor that I won't ever talk about what you tell us today without your consent."

Brown eyes regarded Gibbs for a moment, then Piper smiled but remained silent. Her gratitude was apparent in the loss of tension in her shoulders. She had realized that Tony's superior had done more than simply said yes to keeping their secret, he had pledged on his honor. And from Tony's stories about Gibbs all Halliwells knew that the silver-haired agent held honor in high regard.

After Gibbs' acceptance of the vow, Kate and the rest of Tony's teammates took the pledge too. It gained them a brilliant smile from Tony, who was glad that his friends trusted him enough to do something serious like taking an oath without knowing more details. The Italian heard Phoebe whisper under her breath: "So be it", sealing the vow Gibbs, Kate, Abby, Ducky and McGee had taken with a spell.

But now the NCIS agents were really curious what they had sworn to keep and Piper once more took it upon herself to disclose the secret very few 'normal' humans knew about. She held it brief and to the most important facts, skimming over the details or different episodes the Charmed Ones had survived during the last years. That could come later…if Tony's friends accepted the truth about what they came to know.

No one from Piper's family failed to see the startlement in Kate's and McGee's faces or the patient indulgence in Ducky's eyes, when they were told of witchcraft, demons, whitelighters and other magical creatures. Tony had concentrated on Gibbs, but couldn't discern different emotions in his superior's face. The silver-haired agent listened uncharacteristically quietly, never interrupting… but Tony couldn't shake a slight feeling of doom. Gibbs was so damn still. Only Abby listened with obvious fascination, dark eyes alight with curiousity. She was also the only one of the team of NCIS agents, who commented on the tale they had been told when Piper finally ended.

"Cool", the young goth breathed.

Phoebe had remained mostly quiet during her sister's speech, only now and then adding details to some of the more obscure facts. Now she favored Abby with an open smile of amusement, but replied with a serious undertone: "Sometimes it is. Other times it isn't." Her brown eyes darkened in remembrance of the many losses they had endured, the times they hadn't been able to protect an innocent. But her mood lightened again, when she felt Tony's arm slipping around her waist and her cousin starting to whisper tenderly to her to ease her hurt.

Gibbs watched, when Tony tended to his cousin. He didn't really know what to think of the tale he had heard. Magic. Witches. Fighting between light and dark, good and bad. It was so much like a fairytale half of him was getting angry at being mislead when all he wanted to do was help. But whilst his skeptic mind scoffed at the thought of magic being real, his heart told him otherwise. Held back the anger long enough to let Gibbs revise not only the facts he had been told, but the emotions which had been entwined in the telling of them. Gibbs mentally frowned when he realized that even if Piper had obviously told them only the barest necessities, there were too many details - too many emotions - imbedded in it to be simply thought up.

Could it be real? Could magic actually exist?

"It's…", Kate hesitated shortly, clearly searching for an appropriate, polite wording of her question, "…nice that you tell us that you are…witches. But what does that have to do with Tony?" Kate's skepticism on the likelihood of magic was obvious, but she also showed open-mindedness and didn't reject the idea outright.

Abby picked up on Kate's thought and pinned Tony with a gleaming look. "You are a witch, too?", she wanted to know, clearly delighted of that being within the realm of possibility. Her question earned her startled looks and then light-hearted laughter from Phoebe, Piper, Leo and Tony. Chris giggled with them, feeling the loss of tension in his family from his perch on his mother's lap. Wyatt instead only gazed curiously at them, not understanding what the whole fuss was about.

When Tony's laughter died down, he grinned at Abby. "Leave it to you, Abs. No, I am not a witch. Spirits."

The young Italian shook his head with an amused smile. "First, I don't have the right gender. There are no male witches; the male equivalent to a witch is called sorcerer or warlock. But most of them are evil, so not only no, but hell no…no witch here", Tony continued pointing at himself. His kind green eyes continued smiling at Abby, his gratefulness for her special way of easing tension with the most unexpected questions apparent.

When Abby hung her head in slight disappointment, Tony said: "Magic has many forms and shapes, Abs."

This caused not only the young goth's had to snap up again, eyes wide at the implication hidden in Tony's few words. Gibbs' piercing gaze centered on Tony's face as well, trying to distinguish if his fellow agent was joking or telling the truth. He wanted to demand a straight answer, but the words were stuck in his throat when the silver-haired man realized that Tony studiously avoided his eyes, seemingly afraid of his reaction to the news. Gibbs had to swallow hard at that. Tony had never been afraid of him before and it hurt the older agent that the young Italian would believe that Gibbs would do or say something to deliberately cause him pain.

As if feeling his hurt Wyatt shifted in his arms and leaned closer again, causing Gibbs to unconsciously tighten his embrace around the boy. The silver-haired man felt once more the peace the presence of the child brought him, resulting in a lessing of his hurt and for Gibbs to decide to reassure Tony. Even if he wasn't really sure how to react to the possibility of magic as a whole and more specifically of Tony's family being able to do magic - he never wanted Tony to believe that he would think less of the younger man. Tony would always be his best agent, and more importantly his friend.

Because of that thoughts, Gibbs' voice sounded uncharacteristically gentle when he said: "DiNozzo." Seeing Tony flinch imperceptibly despite his quiet tones, Gibbs sighed. "Tony, look at me."

Wary green eyes lifted and focused on Gibbs. "Yeah, Boss?" Even Tony's voice was tentative.

"Why do you expect me to be mad at you?" The words were out before Gibbs realized what he said, his confusion and even hurt tangible in the few words. 'Why do you expect me to hurt you?', he added silently. 'Don't you know I would never do that?'

Forest-green eyes darkened in worry and Tony tensed. But his answer was honest. 'Like I could be anything else but honest with Gibbs…especially when he looks at me like that', Tony thought. "I didn't expect you - or the others - to be really mad, Boss. But…", Tony sighed deeply. "I mean, what Piper just told you is a lot to take in, when you don't know it to be the truth. And us being agents, you an ex-marine…it's just that military isn't known for the unconventional view of the world."

"Do you really believe me to be that narrow-minded that I wouldn't give it the benefit of a doubt?", questioned Gibbs, torn between exasperation and amazement. He hadn't thought that he gave off the image of being so deeply set in his ways, that he wouldn't be able to broaden his view on some subjects.

Tony's growl snapped him out of his thoughts and Gibbs was surprised to see his eyes flashing. "No, I would never think like that about you!", the younger agent insisted passionately. "I have worked with you for over three years and know that you are one of the most honorable, kind-hearted and open-minded persons I ever met! You have shown that time and time again."

Suddenly Tony deflated and hung his head, missing the startled, pleased look on Gibbs' face. The silver-haired man's eyes glowed for a second in happiness at the compliment Tony had given him, then his features softened. He suddenly understood, why Tony had been afraid of their reaction.

"I didn't think, that after all this time I would still have to remind you of rule number 1, DiNozzo", Gibbs chided quietly.

Tony's head lifted at the gentle tone of his boss' voice and in his face showed startlement. But when he looked into Gibbs' eyes and found reassurance and compassion written in their blue depths, the young Italian slowly relaxed. Gibbs didn't seem angry, only calmly expectant.

Phoebe's question snapped Tony out of the slight stupor Gibbs' easy reaction provoked.

"Rule number 1?", the brown-haired woman questioned.

"NCIS agents don't assume, they check and recheck", Tony, Kate and McGee answered in unison. They had heard that rule so often, it was ingrained down into their very thinking. Abby grinned in amusement at her friends, whilst Ducky just noddedd approvingly and Gibbs smiled faintly at the three-way recitation.

"That's a good rule", Piper commented, earning herself a confirming nod from Gibbs. Then the silver-haired agent decided to explain his opinion more clearly for the Halliwells. "Tony is right, your story normally wouldn't be something easy to believe. I certainly didn't expect to be told about witchcraft, when you said you would disclose your family secret…but during my work at NCIS I have seen and heard too many strange and sometimes unexplainable things to outright dismiss your tale. And I know that Tony wouldn't lie to me. That's why…"

Gibbs trailed off and frowned, when Leo suddenly cocked his head and seemed to listen to something only he could hear. A minute later the far-away look in his hazel eyes cleared to be replaced by slight worry. Turning his focus back to the other occupants of the room, who now regarded him with questioning or worried looks respectively, Leo said to Gibbs and his teammates: "I believe, that any doubts about the existance of magic you harbor will be lost soon."

Turning to Piper, he added: "Paige is in danger. She picked up a tracker when she went to help her charge", refering to the fact, that the youngest Halliwell-sister had been called away by one of her charges before Gibbs and his team had arrived this morning.

Leo had barely stopped his explanation, when blue lights trailed down from the ceiling and a small tinkling sound could be heard. Mere seconds later the blue lights coalesced into a human shape and Paige appeared in the living-room. She stumbled and it was only due to Tony's quick reflexes that she didn't fall to the ground. Muttering under her breath, the young woman straightened and nodded a quick thank-you to her cousin, before she centered her gaze on her sisters.

"Quick, this trice-damned demon will pick up on my signature soon again", she began in a rush, but stopped when she felt the astonished looks of Tony's teammates on her and realized that she had unwillingly demonstrated the content of their family secret. Even Gibbs seemed startled by her sudden appearance.

Paige blinked, unbalanced by the situation and leveled a questioning gaze on her family. It was Phoebe, who answered her unvoiced question with a reassuring nod and stepped up to her. "Did the tracker hurt you, Paige?", Phoebe wanted to know, assessing her younger sister's appearance with a worried look.

Paige waved a dismissing hand. "No, but he and his gang got Rebecca. I couldn't help her and in the end I had no other choice but to flee." The young woman scowled angrily, but nobody missed the shadow of pain flitting over her features at the mentioning of the loss of her charge. Phoebe's brown eyes darkened in empathic hurt and she wrapped an arm around her sister.

In the meantime Piper had traded a look with Leo, who nodded silently and went over to stand beside Ducky. Piper startled Abby, when she placed Chris into her lap. "Please stay here and hold Chris for me, ok? He will protect both of you", she said to the young goth, who blinked in response to hearing that the young boy would protect her against whatever danger would be coming.

Kate, McGee and Gibbs had reflexively drawn their weapons, when they realized that Tony's family expected unwelcome guests – of whatever sort they may be. It was Paige, who shook her head at McGee and Kate, saying: "That won't help. You can't take these demons down with a bullet. We will protect you against them."

Hesitating, both young agents looked at Gibbs for further orders. The silver-haired agent felt conflicting emotions – he wasn't used to being the protected instead of being the protector. It went against everything he was. But seeing Tony's determined, pleading green eyes focused on him… almost begging him to do as he was asked, Gibbs relented.

Holstering his gun again, the older man saw Tony's shoulders sag a bit with relief, before the young man came to stand in front of him and leaned down to lock eyes with Wyatt. "Protect him, Wyatt", Tony whispered, laying a gentle hand against the young boy's cheek. ‘He is precious to me, little one. I love him.', the Italian added silently, knowing that Wyatt would pick up on his emotions because of their physical contact.

When his nephew nodded earnestly, Tony smiled slightly and straightened up again without looking Gibbs in the eye. He didn't know how his boss would react, when he would see the emotions Tony was sure were blazing in his eyes right now. Love and fear, an overwhelming protectiveness for the man who held his heart. Now was really not the time to let Gibbs see all that.

And then all hell broke loose. Before another word could be spoken at all, several popping noises could be heard and all over the room demons appeared. Abby's and Kate's wide-eyed gazes as well as McGee's startled gasp were a stark counterpoint to the Halliwell's determined, but also resigned expressions. The four of them were ready to handle whatever their unwelcome visitors would throw at them.

When Wyatt's and Chris' protective shields flared to life, startling Gibbs and Abby who were suddenly encased in bright blue shells, Piper decided to start her attack. She was standing next to Kate and McGee, with Leo and Paige not far away. Lifting her hands, Piper tried to freeze the demons, but was only partially successful. Four low-class demons froze due to the brown-haired witch's magical power, enabling Phoebe and Tony to take care of them with a martial arts attack.

The demons went flying into the next room with a loud crash and were out cold for the time being. In the meantime Leo protected Ducky against another set of demons, while Paige used her whitelighter abilities to gain hold of the fireball thrown at her by one of the demons and sending it back at her attacker. The demon screamed when he was hit by his own fireball and exploded.

Piper was now doing the most damage on the number of demons – letting each one, who came near one of her family or Tony's teammates explode with relish. Concentrating on three of them, who threatened Abby, Kate, Chris and McGee, she didn't see the danger Gibbs and her younger son suddenly found themselves in.

Wyatt's magical shield held strong against the occasional fireball impacting against the blue surface of the shell, but the young boy was using his magic instinctively. And usually he only had to shield himself, not another person too. It drained him faster than he was used to, but Wyatt was determined to protect the man who was so precious to his beloved uncle. He would not fail Tony's plea to hold Jethro safe from the demons.

Gibbs could see the deep concentration on the face of the child in his lap and only barely held onto his instinct to either draw his gun and shoot their attackers or wrap his arms around the young boy and shield him with his own body. Even if it wouldn't be a bullet like he was used to from his work as an agent, but fireballs. Tightening his hold on Wyatt a bit, Gibbs tried to will some of his own strength into the boy to help him hold up his strange shield.

And it seemed to help, because the blue shield, which had flickered a bit under the now combined attack from three assailants, gained more strength and held fast. But not for long. When a fourth demon added his power to the attack, Gibbs knew Wyatt and himself in heavy danger. The young boy wouldn't be able to counter the attacks forever. They needed help.

Worriedly looking around, Gibbs saw each of the Halliwell's engaged in fight, protecting his team against the demons. When he couldn't see Tony, fear enveloped Gibbs' heart that the younger man had been hurt. A worried sound escaped his lips and he felt Wyatt tense in reaction. The blue shield flickered more and more dangerously, the boy all but drained of energy. Gibbs shifted his grip on Wyatt, preparing to use his own body to protect the child when the shield would finally collapse – but stopped in astonishment, when he suddenly heard the angry voice of his second-in-command.

"That's enough!", Tony's voice boomed through the house, magical power broadcasting from his muscular form in waves. The young man's usually warm green eyes glowed an eerie golden light. It was clearly visible that he was so not amused.

The demons jumped at this sudden threat to them they hadn't been able to forsee - and Tony used his chance. During the last minutes he had tried to disable the demons with Phoebe's help as best as he could. But when he saw four of the assailants teaming up their attack on Gibbs and Wyatt, the heavy anger boiling up in him at knowing two persons he loved deeply threatened with a surely painful death caused Tony to activate his powers even if they were still sealed by the binding spell. If he would have been calm, Tony would have wondered how he was able to do magic without his cousin's having lifted the spell before, but right now he didn't care for reasons or consequences.

Right now, everything he wanted was for his family and friends to be safe…and all the demons be gone. Forever. And some part of his subconscious reacted to his wish and unleashed Tony's usually heavely guarded powers.