Chapter III – Work

Caitlin came out of her gynecologist´s rooms and felt relieved not to forget how happy she was. Her life was just going fine Gibbs proposed and she carried his child under her heart.

Doctor Chambers told her that she was about two months along so she was due in October. The brunette thought about when she would tell Jethro and came to the closure that she would tell him the day after tomorrow about their child.

Now she needed to drive back to the HQ. The silver haired man gave her an extended lunchbreak so she had the time she needed.

`We´re in the lab´, Jethro left the note on her desk in case she arrived in the time they were down. She put it into her pocket and headed for the elevators to go down as well.

The doors whooshed open and her team mates turned around and gave her questioning glances. “I´m fine…”, she said simply and just Gibbs´ gaze reamained a bit longer on her.

“So I ran the fingerprint through AFIS and found this…”, the forensic hit a button on her keyboard and the file of a Navy Lieutenant appeared on the big screen.

“Lieutenant First Class Dylan Cole stationed in Norfolk.”

“Good work Abbs. McGee track him down we are going to Norfolk tomorrow to arrest him and talk to his CO. I don´t think he will disappear into thin air over night so tomorrow is early enough.”, the senior agent said and smiled at the black haired woman. He turned around and the agents followed him out but Abby took a hold of Caitlin´s sleeve and stopped her.

“So what did the doctor say?”, she asked and started bouncing on her feet in excitement.

“It´s sure now. He told me that I´m about eight weeks along and he did an ultrasound. It´s alright with the baby…”, Abigail smiled at her friend and gave the female agent a bear hug.

“Congratulations Kate. Guess you are the happiest woman on earth now. When are you telling him about the mini mix of you?”, the Goth asked and reminded Kate of the fact that she was in everything from the very beginning.

“I guess on Wednesday… Fynnie is at my parent´s house for dinner so we are alone.”

“You know sometimes I´m really jealous of you Kate…”, the forensic said with a smile and the brunette couldn´t help but smile in return.

“Why? You have Tim as far as I know the people don´t call him a bastard.”, the female agent replied and the doors whooshed open again, causing the women to turn around.

“Ah Caitlin I was looking for you. My congratulations.”, the elderly medical examiner said and hugged the younger woman. She wasn´t surprised that Duck knew about the engagement, after all he was Jethro´s best friend.

“Thank you Ducky.”, she replied and smiled at the doctor. He thought of Gibbs´ team as the family he never had and acted that way. Mostly he was sweet but when someone threatened one of them he could really bare his teeth.

“So when can we expect the invitations?”, the forensic jumped into the conversation again and also the good doctor looked questioning at her.

“We didn´t pick a date yet…” Before the brunette was forced to say more her cell rang and Tony told her to meet him in the parking lot.

The two had to go back to the scene to double check everything. Dylan Cole was born into influential circles so the director was a bit anxious about the fact they could ruin him and the team in the court room.

When shots rang through the window Kate knew she had to tell Gibbs sooner than later about the baby with the result that she couldn´t go into the field anymore. Tony was grazed by one bullet while he pushed her out of the line of fire.

Caitlin was quite shaken after that and when she called Gibbs from the hospital he told her that he would pick her and Tony up.

The silver haired agent called his future parents-in-law to ask if they could keep Fynn a bit longer though he wasn´t really happy about this. He didn´t know how the boy took their workhours so well, maybe it was because he was used to this since his birth.

Barely an hour later he arrived at the hospital and found the brunette in Tony´s room helping him to get into his jacket. He was relieved to see both being okay and the trio drove home then.

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Chapter IV – Fifth Time Lucky

Gibbs unlocked the front door to their house and tossed his keys onto the counter in the hall. Kate came in just after him and did the same. The two walked into the living room in a relative silence and the brunette sighed before she started talking.

“I can´t work in the field anymore Jethro.”, she said finally and saw the surprise in his blue eyes.

“Why? Tony will be fine in a week or so…”, he said and walked up to her. He didn´t know why he should loose her as an agent and his mind was running wild. They had no issues about work or something what came along with the job.

“It´s not because of Tony´s injury or the shooting today. Well, yes it is because of the shooting and I don´t want to go into the field anymore because I´m pregnant Jethro.”, she said and looked up into his eyes. She could see how he was thinking over what she just said. Finally the corners of his mouth twitched upwards and turned into a big smile.

“You mean I´m going to be a daddy again?”, he asked and she could only nod. “Wow… You know Katie, with the baby you make me the luckiest man on earth…”

“I´ll tell director Morrow about your request. But it is possible that he moves one of us into another team.”, the investigator went on and held her close, not able to wipe the grin off his face. Probably he would loose a very good agent but he would gain something more precious.

“I guess we´ll cope with that…”, she replied and smiled back at him until he kissed her to let her feel his joy about their baby. “I´ll pick Fynnie up…”

“I´ll come with you we can tell your parents and Fynnie then.”, the older man said and the two got into the car to pick the five-year-old up.

“Granny mommy and dad are coming!”, the boy shouted and the older woman hurried out of the kitchen, to join her grandson at the living room window. He had been sitting there for about half an hour now, waiting for them to arrive at last.

Somewhen during the last year he started calling Jethro dad. To him the silver haired man was his father despite he knew that his real father was Daniel Reid and not Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

“Go open the door then.”, Monica told him and Fynn ran over to the door, opening just in time. Somehow she felt relieved that the two were smiling, she was a bit concerned about what was going on when Jethro called earlier. He sounded quite concerned on the phone and didn´t tell her what had really happened. “Hey!”

“Hey guys…”, the brunette woman said and picked her son up. Gibbs glanced at her and took the five-year-old boy from her.

“Hi…”, Monica replied and bit back the question of what happened. Something was going on between the two and she had the feeling that they would tell them.

“Is dad here? We have to tell you a few things…”, Kate asked and her mother looked from her to the gray haired man and back to her.

“Robert…”, the older woman called her husband and ushered everyone into the living room. A few moments later they heard steps coming down the stairs before Robert Todd stood in the threshold.

“Hey Kate, Jethro…”, he greeted the two and remained where he stood. “What´s up?”

“Sit down Rob. Something is brewing here…”, Monica said and smiled at her husband. He looked a bit confused but sat down next to his wife.

“We are going to get married...”, the female agent prompted and her mother started smiling. Monica assumed it was something like that but the next thing outdid that. “And I´m pregnant…”

“Wow… Well, my congratulations then.”, Robert recovered first and hugged his daughter and future son-in-law. Monica needed a moment more but stood up as well.

“Congratulations Caitlin and Jethro. So Fynn you are going to be a big brother then.”, she said and smiled at the redhead. The boy slid out of Gibbs´ lap when the older man stood up.

“I get a brother mommy?”, the boy asked excited and before the brunette could say something he went on. “That´s soooo cool…”

“Well, but it is still possible that you get a sister.”, Gibbs said and the child thought about that possibility for a moment.

“Hmm… I guess that´s okay too…”, the redhead stated and Jethro ruffled through his hair. Monica could see that her youngest child was happy and as long as she was that she was happy too.

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Chapter V – Shock

“Mommy when is dad coming back?”, the redheaded boy ask when they were eating their dinner. The silver haired agent spoke to Morrow this morning and she was on desk duty on immediate effect. Gibbs also gave her the time off while he was with McGee in Norfolk. She just went into the office to get the order to go home again and receive the congratulations from her co-workers.

“I guess he will be back when you wake up tomorrow, Fynnie…”, the female agent replied and the boy nodded, obviously satisfied with the answer for the moment.

“Can I watch some telly before I go to bed?”, the boy asked and the brunette just nodded.

When the `Sesame Street´ was over she went up with him to say goodnight and had to assure him again that Gibbs would be back in no time. In the time they lived in Jethro´s house she recognized more and more how attached the two grew in this short time.

Before she was in the relationship with the older agent Kate often thought about the fact if Fynn was lacking something like a father figure but that wasn´t concerning her anymore. In a few months there would be one more of them. The brunette sat down on the sofa in the living room and closed her eyes, enjoying the silence for a moment.

But immediately she started missing Gibbs. He was only gone for a day but she already wanted him back to be here with her.

She didn´t know how long she sat there until her cell started ringing and Tony asked her to open the door because he don´t wanted to use the doorbell.

“Hey come in… What´s wrong?”, she asked when she saw his expression. It scared her that the always smiling DiNozzo didn´t act that way at this particular moment.

“Lieutenant Cole´s CO called me that there was an attack at Gibbs and McGee…”, the Italian said and his voice trailed off when he saw the fear in his friend´s eyes.

“What happened Tony?”, she asked and was anxious to hear what happened.

“Someone installed a car bomb under their car but it detonated too early. Tim had enough space between him and the car he has just a few burns and cuts which will heal completely. He went into shock but should be fine by now…”, Anthony explained and took a break again. “Gibbs was hit harder. He was near the car and hit directly by the blow. Colonel Silas told me that he has burns but he is in a coma and nobody can tell if he has amnesia…”

“God… Tony everything was great yesterday and now…”, her voice broke and the female agent started crying. Anthony laid an arm around her shoulders and held her until her sobs subsided and she was crying silently. When they heard soft steps coming down the stairs the brunette tried to wipe the stains off her face but it was still obvious that she had been crying.

“Mommy can I get something to drink?”, the child asked and Caitlin stood up, ushering him into the kitchen. She gave him a glass off water and Fynn spotted Tony in the living room.

“What is Tony doing here, mommy?”, the five-year-old asked and the brunette was just glad that he couldn´t see her face proper in the dim light. “Where´s dad?”

In the living room the Italian could hear the conversation and sighed. He definetely didn´t want to be in Kate´s place now, explaining the situation to the boy wouldn´t be easy.

“Tony told me that Jethro and Tim had an accident in Norfolk earlier so they can´t come back tomorrow…”, the woman explained and could see the same fear she felt on her son´s face.

“Is he going to die, mommy?”, the boy asked when she picked him up and she could hear the tremble in his voice like always when he would start to cry. The question scared the hell out of here what was she going to do if he died? She couldn´t raise two children alone and couldn´t cope with the death of a man she loved again.

“No… He won´t die Fynnie. He will be fine and come back to us.”, she replied and felt Anthony´s reassuring hand on her shoulder. Right now she was glad that she wasn´t alone, without her co-worker here she would surely break down.

---NewYork---NewYork---

 A Child´s Tears