It's funny how the body works. So far Gibbs was always the first to
wake up. His internal clock, programmed from his time in the Marines,
was set to rise at 0500. Today it was Tony who woke first: Tony, the
man who could sleep through just about anything. He'd always found it
funny how he could sleep on the plane during a case while Cait would
be puking her guts out.

Tony saw that Jenny was still sleeping, curled up in the middle.
Thankfully she hadn't awakened all night but had slept like a baby.
Tony looked past Jenny to the sleeping Gibbs and placed his hand on
the older man's forehead. He felt a little warm. He was still sick,
so they would have to change the menu for tonight. He wasn't sure
what they would do but it would be something other than Gibbs cooking
out.

Tony carefully got out of bed. Gibbs moved a little but didn't wake
up. Tony threw on Gibbs' robe and went down the stairs after looking
at the time. It was 0830. Even for Tony this was early on a day off.
He was used to sleeping till 1000 or so, but something had awakened
him today. He just wasn't sure what it had been.

Tony walked into the kitchen, smelling the Blue Hawaiian coffee he'd
put in the maker last before turning on the timer. Having set for
more than three hours, it was bound to be strong by now, which was
something he needed right then. His body was awake but his mind was
still trying to sleep.

Sipping his coffee, he looked around Gibbs' kitchen. Well, now it was
his as well. That thought gave him pause: his and Gibbs' kitchen. He
knew he and Gibbs were meant to be together and would be together for
a very long time. Till death do they part, right? That's what the
wedding vows said. Wedding. He knew Gibbs had been married three
times, and now, for all intents and purposes, he was married again,
this time to Tony. Same sex marriages were only legal in a few
places, and DC and Virginia neither one were one of the places.

Tony wanted to do something. Nothing large and flashy; he knew Gibbs
would never go for that, so anything he planed would have to be
perfect. A few ideas came to him. He was just sitting there, and the
big idea, what he wanted to do, came to him. He knew how he wanted to
express his love. He wanted to exchange rings but it had to be when
he felt it was the right time for them. It would take time and
planning, but Tony could wait. He'd waited this long for Gibbs, he
could wait a while longer.

"That smells good."

Tony was startled out of his daydream when a dressed Gibbs with a wet
head stepped in front of him.

"Hey, baby."

"Morning, honey," Gibbs said, leaning down for a brief good morning
kiss.

Tony moaned, the touch of Gibbs' lips serving to fully awaken him. He
was still smiling when Gibbs pulled away to pour himself a cup of
coffee. Closing his eyes, he inhaled the scent, then took a sip. His
eyes shot open.

"This is good."

"See, coffee can have flavor. Funny thing is, I even made it weaker
than most people."

"No, it's great. So what were you thinking about just now? You looked
intense."

"Oh, nothing really, just thinking about everything that's happened
in the past week and how our lives have changed."

Gibbs smiled as he sat down at the kitchen table. "Yeah, it's been a
wild ride."

"Yep, but I wouldn't change a damn thing."

"Well, I would."

"Really? What?"

"I would rather have told you I loved you without you being sick.
And, don't take this the wrong way, but I would rather have not had
to take Jenny for the reason we did."

"No, okay, so there's a couple of things I would change. I would not
want to give her up, but I wish it had been for a different reason
that we came to have her. I liked Monica."

Gibbs placed his hand over Tony's hand and smiled. Both men were
sitting together, enjoying the silence.

"Tony, we have to talk to her about gun safety."

"I never even thought about that, with so many guns in once place, I
guess we need to. She's a smart girl. I'm sure she knows about it,
but it couldn't hurt any."

"No, it wouldn't. There's something else I need to tell you."

Tony knew from Gibbs' tone that this was a heavy topic. "Okay, what?"

"Tony, I'm sorry I didn't take you for backup when I faced Ari."

"Do you know how worried I was? I was ready to break down the walls
in the office," Tony said, the hurt and worry still evident in his
voice.

"Honey, I know." Gibbs' hand on Tony's put a little more pressure on
it, showing strength and love.

"You went to the bitch."

"Yes, Tony. I had just lost Cait and almost lost Abby and I was not
about to lose the person I loved."

"Gibbs, we're cops. This is what we do. I never want you to put the
mission or your life in jeopardy just to save my sorry ass."

"Tony, I can't make that promise. I love you and will try to protect
you at whatever cost is necessary."

"Boss, I love you, too and would do the same, but at work, it has to
be work. We can't let ourselves get caught up in our relationship on
the job. If we do, then we lose our effectiveness."

Gibbs started to laugh.

"What, Boss?"

"I thought I would be the one to say that. Anyway, you're partly
right. I did call Jen to help me track down Ari, but in the end I had
Ziva, and she was the one who took the shot that killed him."

Tony's eyes didn't break contact with Gibbs' crystal blue eyes.

"There's more, Tony."

"More? Okay, I have one thing to ask first; he's dead, I mean really
dead, isn't he?"

"Yes."

"That's all I care about. I'm glad you trust me to know the truth."

"I don't want secrets between us."

"I only want the-"

Tony stopped talking when they heard crying from the bedroom. Both
men left their coffee cups on the table and ran upstairs, taking them
two at a time. Jenny was still in bed, crying. Tony was in the room
first and had Jenny in an embrace with Gibbs on the other side,
embracing them both.

"Shh, it's okay, honey. We're here now."

"I thought you left me," she mumbled against Tony's chest, her tears
still falling.

"Honey, you never need to think that," Gibbs assured her. "Neither of
us are ever going anyplace."

Jenny stopped crying shortly.

"How about we get you dressed," Tony said, looking into her
face, "then we go out for breakfast today, then food shopping? I'm
sure the team will be here sometime around four or so."

"Okay."

They all pulled away from the embrace. Gibbs walked her back to the
guest room and got some clothes for her. Tony jumped into the shower
and did a quick shave since he had not shaved since Gibbs had done it
for him in the hospital. From there his mind progressed to the first
time they'd made love. The memories alone were enough to make him
hard; he ached for release. Standing in front of the mirror naked, he
saw Gibbs sneak into the bathroom, trying to keep one hand outside
the door and in Jenny's sight.

Gibbs just looked at the naked Tony with the hard dick and licked his
lips. Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"You ready yet?"

Tony couldn't talk; he was too distracted.

"I take that as a no. Tony, we don't have time for what you're
thinking, so get your butt in gear. Jenny and I are going to make a
list for the store." Gibbs liked his lips again, looking at Tony
longingly before leaving the room.

Tony just closed his eyes and tried to get his body under control
again. The only thing that could kill his hard-on was to think of
Madame Bitch. He finally finished his ablutions, then got dressed and
headed downstairs.

"We need milk, eggs, butter," Gibbs was saying.

Tony walked into the kitchen and found Jenny writing down what Gibbs
said they needed.

"You have very nice penmanship."

"Anything's better than yours, DiNozzo."

"I told you, Boss, she would spell check my reports." Tony smiled and
winked at Jenny, who just giggled.

"Okay, we need cereal and fruit." Gibbs stopped so she could write
them down. "Tony, what's for dinner? You mentioned steaks on the
grill."

"I did, but you're still sick, so we'll nix that idea."

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, okay, nice try, thanks for playing. The next question, Bob."

"Smart ass."

"You know it. And language, please."

Gibbs grimaced. "Sorry."

"How about we make lasagna or something like that."

"Nope, can't do that. Not enough time."

"What do you mean, Boss?"

"Well, the best way I know how to make that is to make it a day in
advance. That way you don't have to cook the noodles, you let the
sauce cook them for you after they've soaked in it."

"Okay, nice to know. Then let's got the stuff and we can have it one
day next week."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Jenny, I need you to write down a turkey
and the makings for dressing."

"Okay, Jethro," Jenny said, taking it all down. "What goes in
dressing?"

"Well, we need onions, celery-"

Getting bored with the making of the grocery list, Tony wondered into
the living room to check his email.

There were a few junks from a college buddy and one from Abby. He
read the one from Abby saying she, McGee and Ziva would be over
around 5:00 and they would bring a salad and a dessert. He emailed
her back, saying that would be great. Now he just needed to call
Ducky and have him bring the wine. He would do that after he read the
emails from his buddy. He was doing that when Jenny tapped him on the
shoulder.

`Tony, we're ready to go."

"Thanks, Peanut." He shut down the laptop and got his jacket.

"Tony, where's your winter coat? It's cold outside."

"Back at my place, Boss."

"Then wear this." Gibbs threw him another jacket he had in the closet
that was a lot warmer than the lined windbreaker Tony had.

Gibbs himself put on an older coat that was warmer. Jenny had hers on
already, just waiting for the men. They piled into the car. Jenny was
okay with sitting in the back alone this time. Gibbs was driving
since they were once again taking his car.

They went to the local Shop Rite, parking the car next to the cart
holding area towards the middle of the lot. In the same shopping
center there was also a Blockbuster, a dry cleaners, a pizza parlor
and a hair salon. They walked over to the carts and Tony and Jenny
waited for Gibbs to fish out a quarter.

"Can I put it in?"

Gibbs handed the quarter to the little girl and she put it in the
slot, unlocking the cart from the one in front of it. Jenny held onto
the cart as Tony and Gibbs walked side by side. They started in the
produce section. Tony saw a side to Gibbs in the food store that he
didn't know the man had in him. Gibbs was a shopper after all. It was
food that brought it out in him. He made sure to get the best price.
He picked out only the freshest fruit and veggies they would need for
the next week. In the deli he carefully looked over each and every
selection.

"Just get roast beef," Tony said.

"Nope. I have to see which one is on sale verses the better brand."

Tony smiled at his lover while Jenny watched the other people around
them. She saw a man at the front of the food section watching her but
not really watching her. Since he only glanced at her every so often
and didn't watch her overtly, she paid it no notice, too interested
in watching people herself.

"Okay, I'd like a pound of Boar's Head roast beef." Gibbs turned to
Jenny. "Do you like bologna, ham or turkey?"

"Turkey and bologna."

"I'd like a pound of turkey and a half pound of bologna. Also a half
pound of white American and a half pound of Munster."

"Thank you, sir," the deli person said.

After about five minutes the deli meat was done and they went down
the pharmacy aisle. Gibbs stopped at the cold section, getting
Children's Tylenol and Nyquil and a few other children's products. He
also picked up a new set of Mach 3 razor heads for him and Tony and
was going for shampoo but Tony stopped him.

"Nope, we get the good stuff."

`Tony, why pay all the money for something you only use once or twice
a day?"

"It's better for your scalp and it smells great. Live a little, Boss."

"Okay, I like that part since you always smell great when you walk
into work," Gibbs said with a big smile for Tony.

As Gibbs was reaching for shaving gel, he overheard a comment from an
elderly lady.

"They should be ashamed of themselves. That poor little girl," she
said to her husband who wasn't even paying attention to her.

Gibbs could barely make it out and was glad Tony and Jenny didn't
hear it. Gibbs ignored her as he got a new bottle of adult strength
Nyquil as well.

They continued going up and down aisles. The first was the cereal
aisle. Tony came back with three boxes and put them in the cart:
Lucky Charms, Captain Crunch with Crunch Berries and Cocoa Pebbles.

"Tony, that stuff is not good for you."

"But, Gibbs, I love this stuff," Tony said, looking wide-eyed and
innocent as Jenny stepped up to them.

"Jethro, can I get this?" she asked, holding up a box of Kix.

"Sure, honey."

Gibbs turned back to Tony, who was down by the candy at the other end
of the aisle. By the time he got there, Tony had four bags of
different kinds of chocolate bars and some hard candy, which he put
in the cart.

"What is that for?" he asked.

"To munch on."

Gibbs had no clue how Tony stayed in shape and had such a toned body
with all the junk he put in the cart, not to mention his body. Gibbs
was going for the popcorn, the old fashioned kind you poured into hot
oil. Tony stopped him by putting his hand on Gibbs. They looked at
each other, Gibbs noticing the little old lady again just down the
aisle.

"Get the microwave kind. It's much easier, and Jenny can make it
herself."

"Okay, honey," Gibbs said, just loud enough that the old lady heard
him.

"Peanut, what kind do you want?" Tony asked as Jenny was looking at a
candy or something.

"This kind is what Mom used to buy," Jenny said.

Tony could see she still hurt but it was getting better. They got the
extra movie butter kind, like Monica used to buy for Jenny. Tony
smiled as he put it in the cart.

Gibbs overheard the old woman talking again, and Tony heard her this
time as well.

"Fags should stay with their own kind and not be allowed to have kids
just to change them to fags, too." The lady was once again talking
to her husband, who once again was not even paying attention.

Tony and Gibbs looked at each other. This was the part of their life
they feared: not for each other. They were grown men and could take
care of themselves where the bigots were concerned, but Jenny
shouldn't have to hear that kind of prejudice.

The next aisle was pasta, sauce, rice and dried beans. Gibbs got the
lasagna noodles and a few other kinds of pasta, looking at prices and
making sure to get what was on sale, but for the sauce he got the
kind Tony wanted. He then reached for a green can of Kraft Parmesan
Cheese.

"No, don't get that stuff. We'll stop at a place on the way home and
get the good stuff."

"Tony, there is nothing wrong with this."

Tony snorted. "Boss, I'm Italian. That stuff is crap."

"Yes, you are, but you can't cook," Gibbs said with a smile, but he
conceded to Tony's wishes.

The soup was at the end of the aisle; on the other side were the
canned veggies. Gibbs got corn and nothing else.

"Jenny, go pick out some soups for yourself, okay, honey?"

"Um, no, that's okay."

Gibbs looked at her. "Honey, I know you like soup. I want to get
something you like."

Jenny visibly swallowed. "Whatever kind you want, Jethro, is fine.
I'll just stay here."

Tony looked at Gibbs, both men seeing the problem at the same time.
Tony bent down to her.

"Jenny, honey, it's okay for you to go a few feet away from us, you
know. We're not going anywhere without you, and we'll be within sight
the whole time. You know nothing is going to happen, don't you? We're
in the middle of a grocery store, people all around. We'll be
watching you, I promise."

Jenny drew a deep breath but managed a shaky smile. "Okay, Tony," she
said as she walked away.

Gibbs looked at Tony as he stood up. "Tony, that lady?"

"I know, Boss. Just ignore it."

Gibbs noticed the same old lady was now in the soup section. He and
Tony moved in that direction. That was their little girl down there.

"Are you okay, honey?" the woman asked Jenny.

Jenny didn't even say anything, just looked at her. She'd been taught
to never talk to strangers.

"Honey, can you hear me?"

"Can we help you?" Gibbs asked.

Jenny hurried to the side of her guardians, slipping her hand into
Tony's.

"No," the woman said with a sniff. "I just wanted to make sure the
little girl was okay."

"She's fine."

"Yeah, right," the woman said, walking off. "Those fags have the girl
scared to death. Someone should call the cops."

Gibbs was livid, wanting to go off on the old lady. Tony knew from
the iciness of those blue eyes what he was feeling and placed a hand
on Gibbs' forearm. Just that simple touch snapped him out his
building rage.

They came to the drink aisle, and Jenny was allowed to pick the kind
of juice boxes she wanted. She got several different kinds, asking if
that was okay. Gibbs just smiled as she put the three different kinds
she wanted in the cart.

They walked up the cleaning aisle. Gibbs needed laundry soap and
bleach. He also needed Windex and cleaning supplies for the bathroom.
Tony came back with fabric softener.

"What's that for?"

"I might not know how to cook, but for the stuff I don't get dry
cleaned, I know how to wash."

"Only because Mom showed you," Jenny piped up, smiling at Gibbs when
she said it.

"Rat," Tony said, laughing.

Gibbs asked Jenny if she wanted a room scent for the attic. Jenny
got citrus scent. The next aisle was paper products. Tony came over
with TP, but it wasn't the kind Gibbs normally bought.

"What's that for? We have plenty at home."

"Yes, and your kind is almost as good as sandpaper."

As Tony put it in the cart, he and Gibbs talking, the old lady walked
by. She didn't say anything this time, just gave them a dirty look.
Gibbs put paper plates, napkins and paper towels into the cart.

The next aisle was frozen foods and cookies. Tony was up and down the
cookie aisle, coming back with an armful of different varieties.
Jenny was standing in front of the fruit snacks.

"Jethro, can I get fruit snacks, please?"

"Sure, honey. Whatever kind you want, get a few boxes."

She did, getting the Looney Tunes and Scooby Doo kinds.

"Jethro, can I also get some Pop Tarts?"

"No need to. Tony already got a few boxes. Look in the cart and see
if those are okay. If there isn't anything you like, put one back and
get what you want."

Tony was standing next to him, looking at the ice cream on the other
side of the same aisle. Tony walked away. Jenny put back a box of the
Pop Tarts and got the s'mores flavor.

"I want to try these."

"That's fine, honey. You want some ice cream or something?"

"Can I get ice cream sandwiches? I love them."

"Sure, honey. I think Tony is over by them already."

The cart was almost full by now. Tony helped Jenny get the kind of
ice cream sandwiches she wanted and he grabbed two half gallons of
Edy's Ice Cream. Gibbs smiled at the choice. Continuing on from
there, Gibbs got a loaf of garlic bread.

"No, don't get that," Tony said. "I can cook one thing in this world,
and it just happens to be garlic bread."

Gibbs looked at Tony. "Okay, then let's get a loaf of the bread in
the bakery."

Tony winked at him and ran off to the bakery to get a baguette of
French bread while Gibbs and Jenny headed down the next aisle.

"Jenny, what kind of topping do you like on pizza?" Gibbs asked. He
didn't normally get this much food, but now he had two growing people
in the house.

"Hamburger and pepperoni."

"Okay, honey." He grabbed a few frozen pizzas and put them in the
cart.

Jenny was further down, looking at a little heart-shaped frozen
dessert. It was cookie dough.

"Honey, are you okay? Do you need help?" the old lady asked, then
continued talking to a wide-eyed Jenny.

Gibbs was looking at frozen veggies when he heard Jenny yell from
further down the aisle.

"No!" Looking for Gibbs, she ran towards him.

Gibbs left the cart and met the crying girl halfway, bending down to
her. "What is it? What's the matter, honey?"

"That mean lady said she was going to call the cops and take me away
from you and Tony," Jenny sniffled, holding onto Gibbs and looking
back at the old woman.

Gibbs' eyes narrowed as he looked at the old lady. Getting on his bad
side wasn't smart for anyone to do, especially where it concerned his
family. Gibbs stood up, keeping one hand on Jenny's shoulder.

"It's okay, honey, don't worry. We won't let her hurt you, and no one
will ever take you away from us."

The woman's mouth tightened, but she didn't say anything else, just
headed down the dairy aisle. Gibbs had to go down the same aisle, but
he went in the other direction.

Gibbs got 1% milk and a carton of eighteen eggs, along with two
packages of bacon.

"Jenny, do you want some string cheese or something?"

"Really?"

"Yes, honey, really," Gibbs said, never losing eye contact with the
old woman coming up the aisle towards them.

Jenny picked out the string cheese she wanted and placed it in the
now overflowing cart. Tony still wasn't back from the bakery.

"Faggots should stay-"

"Listen, lady, you ever make a comment like that again within ear
shot of this little girl-" Gibbs' broke off the threat when Tony
placed his hand on his back, draining the anger from him.

"Boss, something the matter?" Tony asked casually, looking at the old
woman.

"Sick. The both of you are sick, some kind of perverts. You people
should not be allowed to raise children."

"Look, lady, you have no clue who the hell we are or anything at all
about us. I don't know what crawled up your panty hole today," Tony
said, getting into it.

The store manager came up, the addition of an official person in the
mix causing the husband to finally pay attention.

"Excuse me, what seems to be the problem?"

"This lady is harassing us and making threats to our little girl."

"They're fags," the woman spat. "They shouldn't even be allowed to
have children."

"Listen, ma'am, I'm sorry if your feelings are offended, but they
have every right to shop here, same as you."

"You should call the cops. The little girl is scared and should be
put into a safe home environment."

Jenny was overhearing it all. Tony was closest to her, and she
latched onto him. He placed a hand on her back comfortingly.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but what I see is you aggravating the guests in
this store. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Huh, this is just a conspiracy against good, decent, hard-working
people," she commented as she stormed off exceedingly quickly for
someone her age, her husband hanging his head in shame.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, for your experience in this store," the
manager apologized to them. "I hope everything is okay now."

"It is now," Gibbs said, not losing sight of the lady as she hurried
away. "Thank you, sir. Thank you for your help."

Tony had defused the situation with the help of the manager, who left
as well. They were in the aisle. People looked for a moment, then
went back to what they were doing.

"They're not going to take me away, are they?" Jenny asked in a small
voice, looking up at the men.

"No, honey. Remember, the judge said we can look after you till he
signs the official papers that your Mom wanted."

"Yes."

"Then they can't take you away."

"Good. What's a fag?"

Tony looked at Gibbs, who was meeting his gaze but not knowing what
to say. How did you explain prejudice and bigotry to a ten-year old?

"How about we talk about this when we get home."

"But I want to know."

"I know, honey," Tony said softly, "but it's not a nice word and
should not be talked about in public."

"Oh, okay, Tony."

They put in a package of the frozen cookie dough in the cart.
Finished with their shopping, they went up front and got in line,
Jenny not letting go of Tony. Every so often Tony and Gibbs' eyes
would meet. Looking around, making sure the old woman wasn't anywhere
near them, Jenny noticed the same man from earlier watching her but
again paid it no never mind.

When it was their turn to pay, Tony grabbed a Milky Way bar. "Honey,
do you want one?"

"No," Gibbs said. "We're going out to eat after this, and you don't
need one either." Taking the candy from Tony's hand, he put it back.

Tony pouted but didn't protest, merely reached for a pack of gum.
Gibbs just smiled. Tony was just a large kid at times. That was part
of the reason he loved the younger man. Younger man. Gibbs still
didn't know why Tony wanted to be with him in the first place. He
was a bastard, after all. Why would anyone want to be with him?
Especially someone like Tony who could have anyone he wanted? Those
thoughts caused the smile to leave Gibbs' face. Tony saw it and
recognized the look.

"Don't go there, Boss."

"What?"

"I know what you're thinking. Just don't go there."

Gibbs paid for the food, once again nearly passing out from the
total. It was the most he'd ever spent on food in his life. They
packed it up, then Gibbs remembered the ice cream. They had to go
home before going out to eat. They went home and put the groceries
away. On the way out the door, Jenny ran to the car and Tony stopped
Gibbs on the porch.

"Never doubt why I love you. To me you're perfect and just want I've
always wanted."

"But-"

"No buts, Gibbs. I love you, all of you. Who cares about the rest?"

Tony sealed the promise with a hard kiss, his tongue asking for
entrance into Gibbs' mouth. Gibbs' tongue met his and started to
move, stroking Tony's tongue. They didn't know who moaned first, but
it really didn't matter because it felt like heaven to both men.

"I'm hungry," came from outside the car.

Tony and Gibbs stopped kissing and smiled, then with a quick peck on
the lips they joined Jenny at the car.

They drove to the diner and ate brunch. Jenny asked what brunch meant
and Tony explained what it was. Tony had a Rueban, Gibbs wanted a
hungry man's breakfast and Jenny got Belgian waffles.

As they were eating Tony pulled out his cell phone and called Ducky
to inform him to meet at the house around 6:00 and to bring a nice
bottle of wine. Ducky responded he would be happy to.

Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and a piece of paper the social
worker had given him.

"Yes, my name is Jethro Gibbs. I need to make an appointment for me
and my family please?Yes, Monday 11:00 is fine with us?Thank you,
ma'am."

Tony looked at him curiously. "Who was that?"

"We have an appointment for the counselor for Monday. Okay?"

Jenny just nodded her head since she was eating.

"Uh, Boss, not to put a downer on things, but we'll have to," Tony
cleared his throat. "Well, they don't offer same sex insurance plans
so whose should we put Jenny on?"

"Never thought about that. Okay, how about we put Jenny on your
insurance and mine as well, this way it doesn't matter. As for the
both of us, well we can figure that out later."

Tony called Barbara in benefits and added Jenny to his insurance,
then passed the phone to Gibbs so he could do the same. The woman
said it was nice of him to do it but it wasn't necessary since she
was covered on Tony's. He wanted to do it anyway in case anything
happened to either of them. Barbara did it, even if she thought it
overkill, and congratulated them on getting a little girl.

On the way home, Tony made Gibbs stop first at the import market
where he went for good Parmesan and Romano cheeses. He also picked up
some good vodka sauce and fresh made raviolis for dinner that night.

Tony then had Gibbs stop at the butcher since Tony wouldn't let him
get any meat at the supermarket. Gibbs had to admit it looked much
better then the stuff they sold in the supermarket. They got some
chicken, pork and a few porterhouse steaks along with a few filet
mignons. Gibbs also ordered a twenty-five pound turkey for the day
before Thanksgiving. He wanted a deep fryer for the turkey but since
it was such a large bird they had to special order the fryer, telling
him it would be there in a few days and that they would call when it
arrived.

On the way home Gibbs also stopped at a hardware store. Tony was a
little confused but shrugged it off. Gibbs was getting out but Tony
and Jenny were going to stay in the car. Jenny could still see Gibbs
from the car, but she did look scared about him not being there. When
they were at home she knew they were there and was getting better
about not having to see them all the time, even though she preferred
to see at least one of them. Outside the house was a different
matter, though.

Gibbs wasn't in the store long, soon coming back out holding a small
bag. He got into the car, then opened the bag and pulled out the
contents.

"Here, one for both of you."

He handed Tony a key, just a silver key, nothing special about it.
Then he pulled out a key that was colorful and had happy faces all
over it, along with a pink fuzzy key ring. Putting the key on the
ring, he handed it to Jenny.

"Here you go, honey."

She smiled happily. "Thanks, Jethro. It's cool."

Both men just smiled. Tony got the significance, even if Jenny
didn't. This meant that from now on the house would be locked, now
that Gibbs had something worth protecting, meaning his new family and
not their possessions.

When they got home they found a note in the kitchen about the bed
being upstairs, already set up and that Tony's clothing was there as
well. Tony's friend had even commented that the new bed worked well
with Gibbs' other furniture and said the old bed was out back behind
the shed. Tony's safe, he said, was also in the bedroom since he
hadn't known where it was to be put, and the electronics were all in
the living room.

"Guess it's a good thing I got those keys made now that there's stuff
here to steal."

"Can I have a juice box?" Jenny asked.

"Sure, honey. They're in the fridge. They should be cold by now."

Tony went into the living room to hook up all of the video and audio
equipment. Jenny sat on the sofa, watching him. She wanted to get a
doll to play with but she didn't want to leave them alone. Gibbs went
into the kitchen and put away the rest of the food they'd just
purchased, shaking his head at how full the refrigerator and cabinets
were. Following the directions given to him from the butcher to avoid
freezer burn, he froze some of the meat. He then began to get the
stuff out for dinner and get it readied for preparation.

Going into the living room, he noticed Jenny looked rather
bored. "Honey, why don't you run up and get a toy or something?"

"Come with me."

"Okay, honey, let's go."

Gibbs took her hand and they went up to her room in the attic to get
a doll and some of the accessories. When they heard people's voices
coming up the stairs, it sounded like they were carrying things.

"Where do you what this?" the men in the doorway asked, holding one
of the dressers they had bought for Jenny's room.

"Over here, please."

The desk was brought up next, and the deliverymen had to assemble it.
Gibbs had them put it together in the middle of the room, saying they
can move it once he was finished with the wall he was going to be
putting up. The rest of the furniture, the other two dressers, two
tall ones to go with the long one, were then moved in. The long one
had a mirror in the middle of it. Jenny looked at all the furniture
and smiled, thinking how cool it all was.

"Okay, honey, how about we go get your clothing and bring it up here
and put it all away."

The attic did have a closet so Gibbs also grabbed some empty hangers
from the spare room. They both went up and folded her cloths, hanging
up the dresses and nicer clothing, the rest being put away in the
drawers. By the time they finished, it was starting to look like a
real room. It would be better once Gibbs put up the wall. He would go
to Lowe's tomorrow and get the supplies. While planning it out in his
head, he noticed that Jenny looked sad again.

"Hey, sunshine, what is it?" Gibbs put his hand on her shoulder.

Looking up at him, she repeated the question from the grocery
store. "What's a fag?"

"Um." Gibbs was at a loss for words, not really sure how to explain
it to her. "To begin with, it's not a nice word. It's a word that
some people call people like Tony and myself."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Tony is gay. You know what that means, right?"

She shook her head no.

Gibbs took a deep breath. "Well, a gay person is someone who likes
the same sex, like a boy liking a boy and a girl liking a girl."

"Oh, like Tony loves you and you love Tony."

"Kind of. Tony is gay since he only ever wanted to love men."

She looked lost.

"I'm what is called bisexual since I have loved both men and women.
You with me so far?"

The little girl shook her head no again.

"Okay, so, you know I had a daughter, right?"

"Yes, you said it in the hospital and got sad."

"Yes, I did. I miss her greatly. She was my daughter with my first
wife."

"First wife?"

"I've been married three times already. I loved them all. But now I
love Tony, so I have found love in both men and women. Now do you
understand a little?"

She nodded her head yes, then asked, "So what is a fag?"

"I'm getting there."

He hadn't heard Tony come up the stairs and standing a few steps
down, listening to them. Coming into the room, he said, "Fag, Peanut,
is a very bad word to call people like Gibbs and myself. It's not a
nice thing."

"Why?"

"It means the person saying it can't be open minded and see that
people like Jethro and myself are just people like them." Tony walked
over to them and went to one knee in front of them where they sat on
the floor and reached out and took Gibbs' hand. "See, they don't get
that love is blind, that it doesn't see gender or race or color."

"I'm lost."

"That's good, honey. That means that your mind isn't closed off like
that woman's in the store. No one really understands why any of it is
the way it is. All you can do is accept it."

"But you're not letting them take me away, are you?"

"Nope, not now, not ever. You're stuck with us," Tony said with a
smile, ruffling her hair and seating himself on the floor with
them. "So, the stuff is all hooked up. Now Gibbs just have to build
the walls up here."

"I plan on doing that this weekend. It shouldn't take that long. We
can get paint as well, and you can pick out the colors you want."

"Really? Any color?"

"Yup," Tony said before Gibbs could.

"Cool, I want pink."

"I think we can make that happen," Gibbs added.

Tony looked around. Most of the clothing had already been put
away. "I see you both have been busy putting things away up here.
Where are your toys going?"

"Over there. Jethro said he would build me a chest to put them in."

Tony was still holding Gibbs' hand. "Jethro is good with his hands."
Tony smiled at Gibbs, meaning it in more than one way.

Gibbs returned the smile, knowing exactly what Tony meant.

"Well, he is building a boat," Jenny said innocently.

Both men smiled at her comment.

"Anyone home?" they heard from the second floor.

"Up here, Probie," Tony called back, not moving.

They heard more than one set of footsteps heading up the stairs.

"Hey, guys."

They were all still sitting on the floor. Tony looked around and saw
Abby, McGee and Ziva. Ducky and Gerald hadn't shown up yet.

"Wow, this is cool, Jenny." Abby came over and sat on the bed.

Ziva was still standing near the stairs, not feeling quite right, and
Tim was a little out of sorts being there after Tony had threatened
him for pointing a gun at Jenny.

"Guys, relax. So, McGee, you up to getting your but kicked in Halo 2
Death Match?"

"Yeah, right, Tony."

Tony got up and kissed Gibbs on the forehead. He and Tim went to the
living room to play a game. Gibbs had no clue what they were even
talking about.

"Gibbs, I left the salad in the kitchen."

"That's good, Ziva. Come on in, you don't have to stand at the door."

"I wasn't sure?"

"Ziva, relax this is just a fun time to be had tonight."

Ziva smiled, seeming to relax a bit.

"Well, I have cooking to get done." Gibbs got up and walked out,
Jenny not far behind him, Abby and Ziva right behind them.

In the living room, Tim and Tony were getting loud and a little out
of hand, causing Gibbs to smile. Jenny was sitting near them,
watching, as was Ziva.

"Mind if I join?" Ziva asked.

Both men looked at her like fresh meat. They showed her how to work
the controls and she joined the game. Where the men had been
competing against each other before, they now bonded over the fact
that Ziva kept kicking their asses.

"Jenny, come here, please," Gibbs bellowed from the kitchen.

Going into the kitchen, she found dishes and silverware on the table.

"Can you please take these into the dining room and set the table?"

"Okay, Jethro."

"I'll help, honey," Abby said, taking the dishes and letting Jenny
get the silverware.

The dining room was off the living room and easily sat eight. Abby
and Jenny were setting the table when they heard Ducky as he came
into the dining room.

"How are the both of you ladies tonight?"

"Great, Duck-man, and yourself? Where's Gerald?"

"Who's Gerald?"

"He is my partner, and he is in with the children playing that
godawful game," Ducky said. "Jennifer, can I have a word with you,
please?"

"Sure, Dr. Mallard."

"No, please, it is Ducky. Everyone calls me that."

Ducky took a chair and had a seat, offering one to Jenny as well.
Abby took the hint and left the room. Jenny could still see Tony from
where she was and noticed the black man sitting on the love seat
playing the game.

"Now, how are the two men treating you, young lady?"

"Great, sir."

"Good. I never doubted them at all. So, how are they feeling?"

Okay, I think. Jethro looked tired yesterday, but we were shopping
all day in the mall and Tony made him carry all the bags."

A smile crossed Ducky's face at the thought of Gibbs being the pack
mule.

"Good, good, my dear. You did great. Now, let's go see about dinner
and have some food. I don't know about you, but I am extremely
hungry."

They went into the kitchen. Gibbs had gotten wine glasses out and
Abby and Jenny moved them to the dining room along with the glasses
for whatever else they were drinking, whether it was tea, soda or
water. Jenny then asked the people playing the game what they wanted
to drink. They all told her, and it was poured and taken into the
dining room and placed on the table, Abby helping Jenny the whole
time. Gibbs called everyone to dinner. The game was tied by that
time, Tony and Gerald playing against Tim and Ziva.

At dinner Tony explained about what they all wanted to do for
Thanksgiving, and everyone was up for the idea. Ziva was happy to be
invited since it was an American holiday and happy that she was being
accepted by the team as one of them. Tony also explained about the
apartment and what he left for her and what she would need to bring.
She thanked him again. She told him the Thanksgiving feast, her
first, was what she was most looking forward to.

She looked at them when they all laughed. "What? I have a healthy
appetite."

After dinner Jenny got out of clearing the table because Tony and Tim
were told they had to do it since they had acted like such little
kids, arguing over the game. Both whined good-naturedly about it the
whole time, but it was all in good fun. Gibbs got out the Death by
Chocolate cake that Abby and McGee had brought. Everyone got a large
piece, Jenny even asking for seconds. They all smiled that she was
fitting in very well. More than one comment was made about her taking
after Tony.

Around 9:00 she went upstairs for her bath, Tony with her the whole
time. Downstairs, still in the dining room, the others were asking
questions of Gibbs about how she was adjusting. Gibbs told them about
the shopping incident that day. Jenny came down and lay on the sofa
till she fell asleep, the adults still talking in the dining room
about life and how it had changed for them all.

After about 10:00 most of the people all left, asking what they
should bring to dinner for Thanksgiving. They were all looking
forward to the deep fried turkey. Everyone was smiling and full when
they left.

Gibbs and Tony finished carrying the dishes into the kitchen. Gibbs
told Tony just to leave them in the sink and they could take care of
them in the morning. Tony almost fell over. Jethro Gibbs, former
Marine and current lover, was a man who folded his clothing after
taking it off. What was the world coming to that he'd said leave the
dishes for morning? Tony's comment to that effect earned him a swat
on the ass.

Gibbs picked up Jenny and they went up to Tony's California king bed.
The room was a little cramped now but there was still enough room to
walk around, although barely. They put Jenny in the middle again.
They walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open a crack just in
case she woke up and needed to see them.

They kissed, deep and with intense passion, hands roaming over hard
bodies. Clothing was removed during the exploration. They weren't
trying to make the other come, but it was close for both of them. But
knowing Jenny was in the next room, they managed to curb their lust,
although the desire was still there.

They put their boxers back on and climbed into bed on either side of
Jenny, holding hands over her. With one last kiss they rested their
entwined hands on Jenny's stomach and fell asleep.