Title: Three's Company, Four's A Family
Author: CJ aka WritinginCT
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: DiNozzo/OFC, Gibbs/OFC
Rating: PG-13 -Teen
Warnings: Polyandry
Categories: Romance, Angst, Het
Feedback: Love it? Hate it? Want to offer me a book deal to write original fiction? Email me!
Disclaimer: I don't own the recognizable characters I'm just inspired by them. Hopefully they've had fun playing in my sandbox.
Author Notes: Polyandry is the practice of a woman having more than one husband. There is no slash in this story, either actual or implied. Nor is there actual or implied multiple partner sex. That is not what polyandry means. Please note the PG-13 rating. Any questions regarding this may be sent to the author.
Summary: Gibbs and Tony each have a new woman with a young son in their lives. Little do they know that it's the same woman. Can they find a way to make a make a family together?

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Tony was exhausted. He had only caught a couple of fifteen minute cat naps over the last three days and he was wiped.

Unfortunately he was also completely out of clean clothes which why he was down in the laundry room of his apartment building at nine-thirty at night. He was busy cramming clothes into two washers, one for the whites and one for everything else, when a pretty brunette that he didn't recognize came into the laundry room with her own hamper of dirty clothes.

He gave her a tired smile and finished stuffing the machines. He fished in his pocket for quarters to get the washers started when he realized that he left the detergent upstairs in his apartment. He groaned and rested his weary head on one of the washers. He just didn't have the energy to head back upstairs to get it.

"Here, use mine." came a soft voice from beside him. He looked up to see the brunette offering him a jug of laundry soap.

He managed to give her a real Tony smile this time, "Thanks. You're a lifesaver." He added some soap to his machines and handed it back to her. "I'm Tony by the way. I don't think I've seen you around here before."

"Claudia. Just moved in a couple of days ago."

"Ew. I don't envy you that. I hate moving."

"It's not high on my list either. " She gestured towards his NCIS t-shirt and asked, "Do you work for NCIS?"

Tony cocked his head questioningly, "You know what NCIS is?"

She smiled, "Yeah."

"Wow. That's…well, that's cool. I generally have to spell it out for most people. Special Agent Tony DiNozzo at your service."

"You look like you've had a rough week and it's only Wednesday, Tony."

Tony yawned in spite of himself, "You can say that again." He leaned back against the washer and slid down it to rest on the floor. "I'm gonna sit right here through the wash cycle." He yawned again and looked at her a little sheepishly, "Sorry, it's not the company."

She laughed, "Didn't think it was. I've got to run back upstairs, I guess I'll see you in a while."

"I'll be here. And if I'm snoring just kick me or something."
Tony leaned his head back and closed his eyes. It seemed like only a moment later that Claudia was giving his shoulder a gentle shake.

"Wake up sleeping beauty. Your laundry is calling."

Tony shook his head to try and wake up and gave his face a quick rub, nothing helped. The only thing that would help was full night's uninterrupted sleep. "Thanks."

He quickly threw his wet laundry in the dryer and settled back down on the floor. His stomach started growling, he could swear he smelled food. He really must be tired he thought. He watched Claudia rotate her own laundry and she surprised him when she handed him a covered plastic bowl that was hot.

She handed him a spoon and a chunk of crunchy French bread and said, "Your stomach was growling earlier and I figured you haven't eaten. It's nothing fancy, just leftover chili that we had for dinner. But it's hot."

He cracked the cover off the bowl and was in heaven. With only a fleeting thought about taking food from strangers, he tucked into the chili. After a few bites he asked, "Do you always feed strangers in the laundry room?"

She leaned a hip against the washer and crossed her arms and said with a laugh, "Honestly? No. I saw you on the six o'clock news though. You worked the case of those two women sailors that were murdered."

He gave her a little grin, "I was on t.v.?"

"Yeah. They showed you pulling some equipment from the NCIS van. Those murders have been all over the news. I'm glad you caught the guy."

"Yeah, me too. Thanks for this," he said lifting the bowl in gesture, "I haven't really eaten since yesterday. "

"You're welcome, Tony. And it should be me saying thanks for getting the creeps off the street."

Tony looked at her hard for a long moment, it was rare that anyone outside of an investigation ever said thank you. He could tell she was being really sincere and that made it feel even better. It was nice to be appreciated. He flashed a grin and went back to eating.

His brain wasn't working up to its normal caliber but he did manage to ascertain that she wasn't wearing a wedding ring. But she had said "we had for dinner". He was trying to figure out a subtle way to find out if she was single when he noticed something on the floor. He leaned over and grabbed the small, wet item of clothing and laughed. It was a little, tiny pair of Spiderman underwear. "I think you dropped something", he said handing them to her.

She took them, "Thanks. These are his favorite pair, heaven forbid I lose them." She opened her dryer and threw them in.

"Your son?" he asked.

She smiled and got a proud expression on her face, "Joshua. He's five."

Tony decided to go for broke, "Cute age, must keep you and your husband busy."

"He does keep me busy, it's not easy doing it all by myself sometimes but he's worth it. Do you have any kids, Tony?"

Somewhat wistfully, which surprised even him, Tony replied, "No. Not yet."

"Speaking from experience, it's a life altering experience. In a good way."

"He sleeping?"

"He should be, he's staying nights at a friend's house this week while I'm picking up some overtime on the night shift."

"What do you do?" Tony asked as he stretched and tried to stay awake.

She didn't answer him right away and he could see that she was embarrassed.

He felt bad as the awkward moment stretched, "Sorry. Didn't mean to pry."

"I just don't know how to answer it. Right now I'm a waitress. It's not glamorous but it pays the rent. But hopefully I'm not there much longer."

Tony went back to shoveling food in his mouth, but paused to ask, "You got something else lined up?"

She gave him a wide smile, "Yeah. I just finished my degree and I'm sitting for the C.P.A. exam in a few weeks."

"Wow. An accountant? Guess I know where to go for help on my taxes."

"Let me pass that certification exam first."

"You'll ace it."

She laughed, "You don't even know me."

He turned towards her and gave her a raised eyebrow, "Anyone that can finish their degree while working nights, raising a five-year old by themselves and not lose the Spidey underwear can ace one measly test."

"I never thought about it that way. But I guess you're right. And speaking of the exam, I'm going to go cram a few more minutes of studying in while this stuff dries. Finish your food before you go back to sleep."

Tony gave her a mock salute, "Yes, mom."

Tony had finished the chili and his heavy eyelids just wouldn't stay open. The next thing he knew Claudia was giving his shoulder another shake, "Tony, come on. It's time for bed."

His not-fully-awake brain slipped into flirt mode and he replied, "Your boss will be mad that you missed work to stay home in bed with me."

She giggled and pulled on his arm to help him up, "You know, that is a tempting offer. But since I have to work and you would undoubtedly fall asleep in the middle of it maybe I can take a rain check."

Her flirting back made Tony's eyes pop open and he asked, "Are you flirting with me Claudia?"

"I must really be out of practice if you have to ask."

"No, it's very cool. I'm just a little fuzzy headed and wanted to be sure I wasn't dreaming it."

"Yeah, well. When you wake up and are thinking clearly, you'll probably decide that it's not so cool to have a thirty-something waitress with a five-year old flirting with you."

"I might surprise you." He looked around and realized that she had folded all of his laundry. "You folded my laundry?"

She was putting her own folded laundry back into her hamper and looked over, "Yeah. I thought you needed the nap more."

"You folded my underwear?" he asked still dazed.

"Yes. It was like touching the Shroud of Turin." She teased back, then hesitated for a moment, "Sorry. Bad movie quote."

Tony spun around to face her, "Um, NO. There are no bad movie quotes. And that was from the 1995 version of Sabrina with Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond. It was a great remake. Did you ever see the original?"

She was stunned, "Ah, no. Have you?"

He frowned, "No, now that I think about it." He shrugged and grinned, "Maybe we could watch it together sometime."

She picked up her hamper and turned to go, "Now who's flirting?"

"Always."

"Well, I have to get to work and you should go get some sleep. Good night, Tony."

"Yeah. I'll see you around though right?" He asked, realizing that he really did want to see her again.

She winked at him, "I'm not planning on moving any time soon."

Tony stood there for a long moment staring at the doorway that she had left through. He had to admit to himself that it felt sort of nice to have someone pamper him a little. Then he realized that pamper was the wrong word, she hadn't pampered him, she had just, well, cared, if he were tired, cared if he hadn't had dinner, cared if his laundry got folded. He tried to remember the last time anyone had looked after him that way and he was surprised to realize that he couldn't think of even one past girlfriend that would have even bothered. That thought bothered him all the way back to his apartment and as he snuggled into his pillow the last thought that he had was that maybe he had been looking for the wrong thing all these years.

---------------
Five-thirty Friday morning Claudia noticed him slip into a booth near the window. It was the same booth that he had sat in practically every morning that week. He had only missed coming in on Wednesday. He had a warm smile and beautiful blue eyes.

She had the coffee pot in hand the moment she saw him walk in. He looked tired today, like the week had ganged up on him.

She teased him lightly as she poured him some coffee, "You look like you desperately need the weekend."

He chuckled, "That good huh?"

She winked at him and nodded. "Your usual?" she asked.

He sipped his coffee and nodded. She smiled and went off to put the order in.

He liked her. He hadn't seen her in here before this week and he had been listening intently under the guise of reading his newspaper each morning trying to pick up bits of the conversation between her and the other patrons and waitresses. He had seen her studying a C.P.A. test prep book and had overheard her telling someone that she was taking the test soon. He had listened as she argued world politics with another patron in a good natured way. She had a great sense of humor and a quick wit. She interested him. He just wondered if she was too young for him.

His ears perked up when one of the other waitresses asked her, "So Claudia what are you doing this weekend?"

"Josuha wants to go play with boats. He's been nagging me all week."

"So where are you going to go?"

"I'm thinking the park near the marina. Maybe do a picnic and get some fresh air and sunshine." She said this as she walked towards him carrying his order and a fresh pot of coffee.

He asked her, "You like boats, Claudia?"

"You could say that…um, what is your first name anyway? We've been talking all week and I just realized I never asked."

He laughed, "Jethro."

"Jethro. I won't forget that one. Anyway I was in the Navy for six years. So you could say that I like boats."

Another customer called for Claudia and she had to slip away before he could say anything. She now intrigued him even more. This Joshua was a lucky guy to have her in his life.

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To Be Continued - FEEDBACK APPRECIATED!!

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Friday morning when Claudia got home from work there was a surprise for her sitting in front of her door. It was a new bottle of her laundry detergent with a big red bow on the top.

She found a note tucked in the bow and laughed when she read it, "Claudia, Thanks for everything the other night. And I was serious about watching the movie with you. Just name the time. –Tony"

He had left his home number on the note and when she called to thank him, she got his machine. She left him a teasing, playful sort of message and hung up.

---------------

Saturday's weather was just custom made for being outside, bright and sunny but not too hot. Joshua was very excited to go to the marina. He loved the ocean and boats. She called him her little Skipper. She packed them some fruit and drinks, planning on buying hotdogs from the street vendor as a treat. Joshua loved hot dogs.

They reached the park and Joshua made a beeline for the playground area that was full of children. He was friendly and outgoing child and fit in well. It gave Claudia the chance to unwind a bit with the newspaper. She was browsing the cultural section when a shadow crossed her paper. Looking up she smiled when she realized who it was, "Jethro. This is a surprise."

He hadn't intended on showing up at the park. He had argued with himself last night over sandpaper and bourbon. But he was curious. He wanted to see what sort of man she was involved with, to see how he compared. So he decided to casually say hello, figuring that he could always say he was meeting a friend at the marina.

"I thought it was you, Claudia. Hi." He tried giving her a little grin but somehow he could tell that she could see right through him.

And sure enough, she gave him an amused raised eyebrow and teased, "You overheard that I was coming here." She wasn't worried about him being a creepy stalker, one of the other waitresses had told her that he was an FBI agent. And she was a little flattered that he had sought her out.

He blushed and with a grin admitted, "Yeah. You caught me."

"Do you want to sit down?" she asked gesturing towards the blanket she was sitting on.

He was about to say no, that he didn't want to intrude on her and her boyfriend when a small boy in a Spiderman t-shirt came flying over, "Mummy. Mummy. I did it. I did it."

"Did what munchkin?" she asked as she straightened his shirt.

"I went down the big slide!" he said in a quick breath, obviously very excited.

"All by yourself?"

"Yep."

"And were you scared this time?"

"Nope. I just did it."

"I knew you could do it, Joshua."

"Mummy, who's that?" he asked pointing to Jethro.

Jethro was standing there with an enormous smile on his face when he realized that she wasn't here with a boyfriend, but rather her son.

"It's not nice to point. Now why don't you tell him your name and say hello." She chided gently.

The little sandy haired boy took a step towards Jethro and said, "Hi. I'm Joshua. Are Mummy's friend?"

Jethro knelt down on one knee, "Hi Joshua, I'm Jethro. I met your mom a few days ago."

"Do you like boats?" the little boy asked him very seriously.

Jethro chuckled, "I like boats a lot. I'm actually building a boat in my basement."

"I like boats. I want my own boat some day."

Joshua turned back to his mother, "Can I go back to the slide?"

She nodded and he took off. She noticed that Jethro had taken her up on her offer to sit as he made himself comfortable.

"He's a great kid." He said watching Joshua on the playground.

"He's my little man. He keeps me on my toes. How about you? Do you have any?" she asked lightly.

She saw a twinge of pain cross his face, and he said quietly, "I had a daughter, Kelly. She and my first wife were killed in a car accident." He didn't know why he told her that, he normally hid that away, but for some reason he wanted to be honest with Claudia and not have anything come back to potentially haunt him in the future.

Claudia felt awful, she hadn't meant to bring up painful memories for him, "I'm sorry, Jethro. I shouldn't have brought it up."

He turned to meet her eyes, "You had no way of knowing. It was a long time ago."

They sat watching the kids playing for a while not saying anything. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, they just didn't feel the need to fill up the quiet with inane chatter.

"So six years in the Navy?"

She laughed, "Yeah. Nuts huh? But I loved it."

"Why'd you leave?"

"That's a long story but I'll give you the short version. I met a Marine and we got married. But it was just too hard dealing with two different deployments and we wanted to start a family. So I quit and had Joshua. Then we ended up divorced almost five years ago and I became a single mom. And here I am now."

"I saw you studying at the diner the other day."

"I feel like I've been studying for the last two years straight. I just finished my degree and I'm getting ready to sit for the C.P.A. exam. It's not as exciting as being a federal agent but it means a good future for me and Joshua."

"How did you know I'm a federal agent?"

"One of the other waitresses mentioned you were FBI so I wouldn't freak if I saw your gun."

Claudia was treated to the very rare sight of one Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the middle of an all out belly laugh. When he managed to compose himself a little he asked through his laughter, "FBI? You think I'm FBI?"

"Well you don't look like CIA or Secret Service so what else is there? Unless you are just a weirdo stalker."

"Sorry. Let me introduce myself. Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, NCIS." He said formally and held out his hand.

"NCIS?" she asked, finding it hard to believe that she would meet two people in the same week that work for the same fairly obscure agency.

"I will be highly disappointed if you spent six years in the Navy and never heard of us."

She shook her head, "Oh no, it's not that. I know all about NCIS. It's a weird coincidence."

"I don't believe in coincidence. What's weird?"

"I just met someone else this week from NCIS that's all."
Before he could ask "Who?", Joshua made another running appearance.

"Mummy, can we go do the boats now?"

"I don't know, have you been very good this week?" she teased as she tickled him.

"Yesssss." He laughed then looked at Jethro, "Are you coming?"

Jethro looked at Claudia who answered the unasked questions, "We're going over to the other side of the park where the pond is, they rent remote controlled boats. You're welcome to come with us."

He looked between Joshua and Claudia and smiled, "I'd like that a lot."

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, as time often does when the activities are pleasant. They rented a couple of the remote control boats and raced them, Joshua being the best skipper out of all of them. Claudia was surprised at how good with Joshua Jethro was, and how well Joshua responded to him. By the time the boat races were done the two of them were buddies.

They got hotdogs from the pushcart and ate in a shady spot. After they ate they went for a long walk along the marina so Joshua could see all the boats. Anyone that saw them walking assumed they were a family. Joshua was enthralled by the boats and was thrilled that Jethro knew all the different kinds of boats. Claudia couldn't tell who liked the piggyback ride Jethro gave Joshua more, the two of them laughing and horsing around like only boys can.

They headed back towards Claudia's car in the late afternoon, Joshua sound asleep on Jethro's shoulder. He carefully placed the sleeping child in his booster seat in the car and stepped back as Claudia buckled him in.

Turning to face Jethro, Claudia suddenly didn't know what to say. They had had an amazing day. They had laughed and teased back and forth, and she found herself very interested in him.

Jethro was thinking the same thing and said, "Today was a lot of fun, Claudia."

She smiled, "Yeah it was. I'm glad you came."

"I'd like to see you again. Maybe dinner?"

She didn't even hesitate, "Dinner would be great."

He gave her his card and she gave him her number. And as she drove away he stood there watching the car go and realized that he hadn't felt this light and upbeat in a very long time.

---------------

Monday was a quiet day at NCIS and normally that made for an unbearable Gibbs. Tony was at his desk cleaning up some miscellaneous paperwork and trying to look busy. His attention was grabbed by a news article flashing on the internet browser and he goofed off for a few minutes reading about the new children's movie that was opening the coming weekend. He was daydreaming about asking Claudia and her son to go. He hadn't even met her son though and that put a damper on his daydream. He knew some women were funny about their kids meeting the men they dated. His expression must have given away the fact that he was goofing off and a he was brought back to reality by a large paper ball smacking him in the forehead.

He looked in the direction the projectile had originated from to see Gibbs. He met his boss's eyes, expecting to be chewed out for goofing off. Instead Gibbs just shrugged and smirked. Tony was instantly nervous. What was wrong with Gibbs? He didn't play, didn't goof off.

A while later when Gibbs headed out for coffee Tony whispered loudly, "McGee. What's up with the Boss?"

Tim looked a little confused. He hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary, "What do you mean, Tony?"

"He's just in a good mood. And Gibbs is never in a good mood, Probie."

"Now that you mention it, he was whistling when he walked in this morning."

"We should check for pods. Gibbs doesn't whistle."

"Maybe he just had a nice weekend off, Tony. Had some fun or something."

"Maybe he had a date. You know, Probie, one of those dates that lasts all weekend long." Tony said with a smirk.

---------------

Tony took the opportunity to call Claudia while Gibbs was out. He had saved her number from his caller-id and waited somewhat anxiously for her to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Just the woman I was looking for." Tony teased.

"That's a good thing, I would worry if you were looking for someone else at my phone number, Tony."

He laughed, "Yeah, okay, well maybe that wasn't so smooth after all."

"Are you flirting with me again, Tony?"

"You're the one that had her hands in my underwear an hour after we met." Tony could see McGee almost spew soda across his desk, letting Tony know that he was listening in on the conversation.

"Am I ever going to live that down?"

"Let me think about that for a minute," he paused for effect then continued, "Nope. Doesn't look like it anytime soon anyway."

"You're incorrigible."

"Guilty as charged." He dropped his voice down so McGee couldn't hear and said, "Hey I was thinking, if it's not too weird for you, that the new Disney movie opens on Saturday and I'd love to take you both to go see it and maybe get some pizza or something after."

"Both meaning me and Joshua?"

"Yeah. Unless that's too weird for you."

Claudia didn't believe in sheltering her son from meeting new people, and that included the rare few men that she dated. She and Joshua were a package deal and any man that didn't fit well with Joshua didn't belong in her life.

"No. It wouldn't be weird. I think it would be fun. If you're sure."

Tony got a soft expression on his face that would have probably embarrassed him if she had been able to see it, "Oh, I'm sure. So how about we hit the three o'clock showing. Then have dinner after."

"Okay."

"Great. I'll pick you guys up a little after two then.

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Claudia sat there staring at the phone for a minute feeling a little strange. She didn't date often, and now here in the space of a week she had met two very attractive, solid men who were interested in her. And Joshua. She decided not to overanalyze it and just go with the flow. They were dates, not marriage proposals.

Tony had hung up the phone with a smile on his face. He grabbed the report off his desk that he had finished before calling Claudia and stood to go make copies of it when he saw McGee chuckling at him, "What's so funny, Probie?"

"New girlfriend, Tony?"

"Maybe."

"She's already had her hands in your underwear and you don't know?"

Tony just squinted and glared at McGee.

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To Be Continued - FEEDBACK APPRECIATED!!

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The team caught a particularly nasty homicide that afternoon and none of them stopped to come up for air until Friday afternoon when they finally broke the suspect in interrogation. Gibbs went to go get coffee before spending a few hours catching up on his paperwork. He realized, much to his chagrin that he hadn't tried to call Claudia all week. He flipped his cell phone open and hit the latest speed dial he had programmed into the phone.

Claudia smiled when she number on her caller id, recognizing it from the business card that Jethro had given her. She had wondered when he was going to call, and in reality had expected it earlier in the week, but figured that he might have had something come up at work so she had just put it out of her mind.

"Hello?"

"So how many Cosmo rules have I broken by not calling ‘til now?" he teased lightly. The folks going in and out of the coffee shop got treated to the odd sight of him hanging outside the door, kicking his boot against the bricks nervously and acting for the world like a teenager asking a girl out for the first time. He really hoped he hadn't screwed up by not calling.

She chuckled at his obvious attempt to apologize, "Lucky for you I don't read Cosmo, Jethro. Another rough week?"

He let out a sigh of relief and ran his hand through his hair, "Lately I don't seem to have any other kind. I did mean to call, Claudia, I just got wrapped up in a case. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for. The bad guys need catching."

"You know with an attitude like that I'm really going to have to go out of my way to impress you with dinner."

"You'll have to go some to outdo last Saturday, Jethro."

He teased back, "I think I can do better than hotdogs from a pushcart."

She laughed, "That's not what I meant."

"I know. It was a great day. So, when can you pencil me into your calendar?" He suspected that as a waitress her schedule might be a little odd.

She thought for a moment, "Looks like Tuesday is my next free night and gives me time to get a sitter for Joshua."

"Tuesday it is then. Seven o'clock okay?"

"Perfect."

"Great. Well, I guess I'll let you go then."

"Okay, I'll see you Tuesday."

With a familiar motion he closed his phone, but stood there smirking at it for a moment before heading in to get coffee.

---------------

Tony enjoyed sleeping late on Saturdays. It was one of the things he enjoyed most about moving out on his own so many years ago, being able to set his own schedule was something he cherished. He finally cracked an eye open to see the red numbers on his alarm clock telling him that it was almost ten o'clock. He yawned and stretched and planned his next moves. He needed to hit the dry cleaners and go to the grocery store and he really needed to get an oil change in his car. He decided that he had plenty of time to do it all before he had to pick up Claudia and Joshua. That thought made him smile as he headed off for a shower.

Tony raised his hand to knock on Claudia's door a few minutes after two. He found himself a little nervous, not because of Claudia, but because of Joshua. He didn't have a great track record with children and he had the feeling that hitting it off well with Joshua was going to be the deal breaker with Claudia. He let out a deep breath and knocked, figuring he only lived once.

She opened the door with a big smile but before either of them could say anything her phone rang, "Ahh. Tony please come in, let me just grab that." She turned and zipped off into the other room leaving Tony to enter at his own pace. It was a little weird walking into an apartment that was situated exactly like his but not his. He closed the door behind him and walked into the living room. He immediately saw that Claudia wasn't even close to being unpacked and decorated yet, there were moving boxes tucked here and there, and the walls and windows were bare save blinds. His eye was drawn to the sandy haired little boy playing at the coffee table with some action figures. Tony fervently prayed that Claudia would come back before the little boy noticed him. Tony wasn't that lucky.

"You wanna be the Hulk?" Joshua asked Tony, looking right at him.

Tony almost spun around to see if there was someone else in the room that Joshua could possibly be talking too. Sensing he was on his own he stepped over to where the little boy was playing and settled himself down on the floor across the coffee table from him. "I can be the Hulk," he said taking the offered action figure from the small hand.

"I'm Spiderman. Mummy hates being the Hulk. She doesn't like growling like him."

"I can growl." Tony said and proceeded to demonstrate much to Joshua's delight. Joshua had built a complicated lump of blocks that he proclaimed was a house that the Hulk was supposed to stomp, so Tony growled and stomped and clashed with Spiderman when he swooped in. There was a lot of giggling in the living room and it wasn't all from Joshua.

Claudia had finished the phone call and peeked around the corner to see what the commotion was all about. Seeing Tony playing with Joshua, and the two of them both obviously having fun made her glad that she had accepted Tony's movie offer. She stepped into the room almost hesitantly, not wanting to disturb the boys. "Hi. Sorry about that. It was my college professor."

Tony stood up and stepped closer to her, "No problem. Joshua and were just ah…"

"Playing?"

He cleared his throat, a little embarrassed, "Yeah. Playing."

Tony felt a little tug on the back of his shirt and turned around to see Joshua holding the bouquet of flowers that Tony had laid on the floor when they started playing, "You forgot the flowers, Tony."

He took the flowers from Joshua and turned to Claudia very red in the face, "I didn't really forget the flowers, Claudia, I just put them down so the Hulk wouldn't smash them. Anyway, these are for you. I don't know what you like but these seemed like happy flowers."

He handed her the bouquet of mixed flowers, pleased to see her smiling. The flowers had been an impulse buy at the grocery store. They weren't fancy, weren't expensive, and were certainly weren't the DiNozzo first date special that he normally bought. But then again, this first date included a Disney movie and a five-year-old, two other things that had never been included on a DiNozzo first date either.

"They're beautiful, Tony. Thank you. Um, now let me just find a vase. As you can probably tell, I'm not exactly unpacked yet."

He teased lightly, "I was hoping that was the case, because if not you really need to fire your interior decorator."

After frantic five minute search she finally found a box with a vase and had the flowers safely displayed on the kitchen table.

Flowers settled, Claudia grabbed her purse and a knapsack, seeing Tony's questioning look she stated simply, "Never leave home with a five-year-old without a change of clothes for said five-year-old."

He laughed and took the knapsack from her and the three of them headed down to the car.

They ended up in Claudia's car to save the aggravation of transferring Joshua's booster seat to Tony's. Once at the theater it was mayhem. Wall to wall children and teenagers.

Claudia latched onto Joshua's hand for dear life, it would entirely too easy for him to get lost in the crowd. As they waited in line to get their tickets she saw a sign that the three o'clock show was sold out. She pointed it out to Tony who just grinned, "I planned ahead and bought the tickets on Monday, we just have to pick them up."

"Phew, I wasn't looking forward to explaining that one."

They got their tickets and braved the line at the concession stand for popcorn. People were cutting in and out of line and the teenagers were just obnoxious. Tony could see Joshua hanging onto Claudia, a little nervous about the crowd and Tony wasn't entirely surprised when he felt a little hand sneak its way into his. He looked down and gave Joshua a wink. When Joshua winked back, Tony felt ten-feet tall and bulletproof. He could do the kid thing. Maybe it just had to be the right kid.

They found some seats not too close to the screen and Joshua insisted that Tony sit in the middle. And Tony laughed when he heard Claudia gripe something about "Dear old mom getting kicked to the curb".

Tony found that watching a children's movie with an actual child made him see things in a whole new light. Joshua kept whispering to him what he thought was going to happen next, and what he liked and what wanted to do to the bad guy. Tony couldn't remember enjoying a movie more.

When the movie ended they followed the horde out of the theater and made it back to the car. On the way to the pizza restaurant Joshua didn't stop talking the entire trip. Tony and Claudia just couldn't get a word in edgewise. Parking at the restaurant Tony teased Claudia, "Are you sure we should re-fuel him?"

"Are you kidding? He's not going to sleep for days now. All I'm going to hear about is that bad guy. The fuel's for us."

The waitress seated them and Tony was surprised, she didn't even try to flirt with him. Then sitting there across from Claudia and Joshua it hit him, the waitress thought they were a family. Oddly that thought didn't freak him out quite as much as he thought it should have.

He and Claudia finally got a chance to chat a little while Joshua was preoccupied with coloring on the placemat. They talked about where they grew up and went to college. He was surprised to find out she had been in the Navy, and she gave him the summary version of why she left. Their conversation flowed easily and was punctuated with teasing back and forth. It was comfortable and they definitely had chemistry.

By the time they got home fighting traffic it was after seven and past Joshua's bedtime and he was getting a tad on the cranky side since he didn't have a nap in the afternoon. Claudia had Tony make himself comfortable on the couch with the remote for a few minutes while she got Joshua into his pajamas. A few minutes later Joshua came zipping into the living room in his Hulk pajamas with his mother not too far behind. He gathered his action figures from the table, intent on bringing them to bed with him. He stopped in front of Tony and said, "Thank you for taking me to the movies."

Claudia prompted, "And?"

Tony could see Joshua thinking hard, "And for playing Hulk."

Claudia just shook her head, she had been looking for pizza as the correct answer. Tony smiled warmly at Joshua, "You are very welcome. I'm glad you had fun today. Are you going to bed now?"

Joshua nodded and Tony said, "Well good night, Joshua, sleep well." Joshua's blue eyes regarded Tony seriously for a moment and Tony wasn't expecting it when Joshua launched himself at Tony and gave him an action-figure filled hug. He didn't know what to do at first then finally he went with the flow and gave Joshua a big squeeze in return. Joshua ran off to bed and Claudia took a moment to tuck him in.

Claudia found Tony on the couch with his head leaned back on the back of the couch, his eyes closed. He heard her approach behind him and asked, "You do this every day?"

She chuckled, "All day, everyday."

He looked up at her with a lazy grin, his head still on the couch, "You deserve a medal."

She reached down and gently stroked his temples then expanded her fingers outward to give his whole scalp a massage. He moaned and teased, "Definitely a medal."

She chuckled at him and asked him if he wanted coffee, at his affirmative nod she abandoned him and went into the kitchen to make it. Once it was brewing she was putting together the tray to bring into the living room when he snuck up on her in the kitchen. Surprised, she backed up until she hit the counter, and with a playful glint in his eyes he stepped directly into her personal space.

He made a show out of putting his hand to his ear and pretending to listen for Joshua then put his finger to his lips in a "shh" gesture. Then he kissed her. It wasn't a lets-rip-all-our-clothes-off-and-fall-into-bed sort of kiss. It was more of a hi-I'm-Tony-and-I've-wanted-to-do-this-since-you-folded-my-underwear-and-I-really-want-to-get-to-know-you-better sort of kiss.

When they came up for air they both just said, "Wow." They had definitely had chemistry.

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feedback appreciated!!! ;)

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Tony woke the next morning and made coffee. As he sat with the mug of steaming brew on his couch he smiled as the memory of playing with Joshua superimposed itself over his living room. The little boy had been very receptive to him and he hadn't expected it. Joshua definitely had his mother's outgoing personality.

Tony's smile broadened as he thought about Claudia. He knew her life couldn't have possibly been easy since her divorce, yet she stayed a happy, optimistic person. He had been leery about sharing anything about his family with her, afraid she would view him as a rich kid. But she hadn't. She just accepted it as part of who he was without judgment. Then again, he wondered how many people made snap judgments about single-mothers working as waitresses that she had had to tolerate.

Then there was that first kiss. He had heard about the whole "getting weak in the knees" thing but had never actually experienced it for himself until last night. And the funny thing was that sex wasn't the first thing that came to mind when he thought about it. He was definitely attracted to her in that way but the kiss hadn't been about that. It had been comfortable and welcoming. It was as if she were inviting him in, not just to her bed, but to her life. And that thought was a little staggering, but the more he thought about it, the more right it felt.

---------------

Claudia was frantically ripping through her closet looking for something to wear. Nothing seemed right. She finally found something in the back of the closet that was perfect. Or as close to perfect as she was going to get in her closet. She had this urge to be pretty, pretty and feminine, not sexy and sultry, just pretty. Jethro was a true gentleman, and he had what she liked to call an old soul, and she wanted to appeal to that part of him. The pale yellow flowered dress was sleeveless and flowed to her calves. Topped with a soft rose-colored cardigan it was perfect.

She walked out into the living room where Joshua was playing with his blocks. Her friend Betsy, a pretty black woman in her late sixties that also worked at the diner, was in the kitchen making a cup of tea. She loved babysitting Joshua and hadn't hesitated when Claudia had asked her.

He looked up when his mother entered the room and smiled, "Mummy, you look pretty."

She bent down and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you munchkin, just remember when you get older that girls like hearing that."

There was a knock on the door precisely at seven. Claudia chuckled, wondering if he were really that punctual or if he had been loitering in the hallway waiting.

She opened the door to the sight of Jethro adjusting his tie, and if she were reading it right, a little nervously or maybe anxiously would have been more accurate. She smiled and teased, "So how long were you loitering in the hallway?"

He tilted his head and smirked, "Caught me again. A couple minutes."

She chuckled, "Please come in, there is some waiting to say hello."

They stepped into the living room and a little voice piped up loudly, "Jethro!" as Joshua flew across the room to be scooped up by Jethro.

"Hi Joshua."

"You're taking Mummy out for supper?" he asked seriously.

Jethro smiled, "Yup. That okay with you?"

"Yeah. But how come she has to wear a dress?"

Jethro looked past Joshua to see Claudia standing there with both hands clapped over her mouth to keep from laughing. Betsy, from her perch in the chair in the living room, showed no such restraint. She laughed heartily and then said, "Well answer the boy, Jethro."

Somehow he wasn't surprised to see Betsy here, she had worked at that diner as long as he could remember and had teased and mothered him on more occasions than he could count. She had raised five sons and had a slew of grandchildren, and brooked no nonsense. And she was known for adopting "lost sheep", so seeing her here made perfect sense.

"Well Joshua, some restaurants are fancy and you just can't wear your blue jeans. Besides, girls like to dress up. So it's up to us guys to take them places were they can wear pretty dresses."

Joshua thought that over for a moment and said, "I think Mummy looks pretty."

Jethro met Claudia's eyes and said, "Yes she does Joshua, she really does."

Claudia blushed splendidly and broke the eye contact, because it just too intense. But apparently the outfit was perfect. She said to Josh, "Okay skipper, a little while longer then its bedtime okay? And listen to Betsy."

He laughed as Jethro put him down, "Mummy, I always listen to Besty."

She grabbed her purse and caught a wink from Betsy. Somehow she didn't think the wink had anything to do with Joshua.

On the way to the car both of them were praying that they didn't run into Tony.

Claudia had spent a lot of time on Sunday thinking about Tony and the entire situation. They had definitely clicked and there was great chemistry between them, but… What sort of relationship was he looking for? What sort of relationship was she looking for? They hadn't talked about that at all. And then there was Joshua. He and Joshua had hit it off well, but Tony had admitted that his experience with kids was normally not so good. If they ended up in a long-term relationship, would he be up to the fatherhood thing? Would he want to? But in all honesty, that kiss had been something else, and it negated a lot of doubts. But then again, she had enjoyed the day at the marina with Jethro equally. After giving herself a headache, she had decided to go back to her go with the flow philosophy and see what happens.

Gibbs hadn't mentioned his date at the office. It just wasn't anyone's business. But he had realized mid-day that he didn't know where she lived and called her. When she had told him the address, he had recognized it immediately as Tony's apartment building. He assumed that cleared up the mystery of who the other NCIS employee was that she had mentioned meeting, she must have met Tony in their travels in and out of the building. He couldn't put his finger on exactly why he didn't want Tony to know that he had a date with someone from his building, knowing Tony though, he would hassle poor Claudia for all the details and she didn't need that aggravation.

Jethro had a hard time deciding which restaurant to take Claudia to; there were certainly enough of them in the greater Washington area to make his options almost limitless. He went back and forth between something really elegant that would impress most women and something that while elegant was also fun and wouldn't impress a lot of urban women. He opted for the latter, his gut telling him that she would enjoy it.

Set outside the city, the restaurant was literally built into the surrounding countryside. Post and beam construction gave it a natural, open feel and the interior was decorated with rich, warm woods and wrought iron. Crisp white linens and antique lanterns decorated each table. Jethro was watching her carefully as they entered, really hoping his gut was right. The wide smile that crossed her face as she looked around with curiosity dispelled any doubt that this was a good choice.

They were seated by an efficient hostess and presented with the drink and wine list. He saw her smirking and asked, "What's so funny?

She looked at him over the drink menu and gave him a playful grimace, "I don't know if I should tell you. You'll think I have absolutely no life."

He chuckled, "Given what you've done for the last few years, I think if you got any more of a life you would drop dead from exhaustion."

Laughing, she conceded, "Good point. I just realized that I haven't had any alcohol in about three years. I either end up driving or I have Joshua with me. Pathetic huh?"

"No. Responsible. But since you're not driving and Joshua isn't here what are you in the mood for?"

"Hmm." She said as she looked at the menu. "I'm not really fussy, but I do like fruity red wines."

He teased, "I can do fruity."

That got him a smile and a laugh. He ordered a bottle of shiraz and chatted about food as they perused the menu. He saw her get a vague look and realized she was listening to the background music being softly piped through the restaurant.

She caught his eye and stated, "That's Hank Williams." She had a look of almost awe on her face. She kept listening and her eyes crinkled in delight as the next song started, "Tammy Wynette."

"You like country music?"

"The old stuff, yeah. I learned to two-step almost before I could walk. I can remember dancing with my Granddad to ol'Hank…"

And their conversation was off like a racehorse. They talked about their families and how they grew up, both had country, family oriented roots. They talked about books they enjoyed and their hobbies. When he brought up his boat he waited for the inevitable question, but it never came. It finally bugged him enough to ask, "Aren't you going to ask me how I'm going to get it out of the basement?"

She took a sip of her wine and replied, "No. You're an intelligent man. I'm sure you have a plan."

He just looked at her for a moment with his mouth hanging open then laughed. They talked all through dinner, and the occasional lag in conversation wasn't uncomfortable. It seemed all too soon that their plates were cleared and waiter was asking them if they wanted dessert. When she declined, saying that she couldn't eat another bite, Jethro insisted she get it to take home and share with Joshua. They did linger over coffee, neither of them really wanting to leave.

The drive home took them past the Washington Monument. And in the dim light Jethro could see the little smile playing on her face. On a whim he found a place to park and answered her questioning look, "Want to go for a walk around the mall?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I haven't done that at night in years."

As they started walking towards the monuments Claudia slipped her hand in his. It surprised him and it didn't all at the same time. She had just beaten him to it. As they walked their conversation picked back up and he asked, "So made you join the Navy?"

"I was twenty-two and I was working full time and trying to pay rent and take a couple of college classes when the Oklahoma City bombing happened. And I don't know, it just struck a cord in me I guess. Anyway I decided that I wanted to serve my country and it was a toss up between the Navy and the Coast Guard, but the Navy won out. I could see more places. And besides, they have bigger boats." She laughed.

"That they do. Do you miss it?"

"Every day. I think if I didn't have Joshua I would re-up."

He was surprised by her conviction. She had indicated that she liked being in the Navy but he hadn't realized how strong the feeling was.

They stopped in front of the Washington Monument and were able to see the Capital in the distance. The breeze blew her hair into her face and before she could fix it, Jethro deftly tucked it behind her ear. His hand lingered there for a moment and he ran a calloused thumb along her cheekbone. And then one Leroy Jethro Gibbs kissed her right there in front of the Washington Monument. And he was good at it.

---------------

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Tony stood in the doorway silently watching her. She was folding laundry, not an uncommon sight in the laundry room of the apartment building but it was what else she doing that made him stare and smile. She was singing some country song to herself and swaying along as she folded. She was horribly off-key but she seemed to be in such a light-hearted mood that it just didn't matter.

He remembered something that one of his frat brothers had said to him at his bachelor party. He said that the best moments were the little ones. He told Tony that one of his favorite metal snapshots of his soon to be wife was when he had walked in on her scrubbing the tub wearing those bright yellow rubber gloves and when he teased her she stuck her tongue out at him. When Tony told his frat brother that he had finally lost his mind, his friend told him to wait, and that when Tony found the right girl that he would recognize the little moments when he saw them.

This was a little moment.

"Where's the video camera when you need it?" He teased from the doorway.

She looked back over her shoulder with a smile, "Be kind."

He stepped into the room and put his laundry basket down on one of the machines. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe Joshua needs some ammunition for when you start showing his dates his naked baby pictures in a few years."

"That's a mother's prerogative."

He stepped to her side and grabbing one of her clean towels started folding it, "Did I say hi?"

She gave him a little sideways look and saw that playful little look on his face, "Um, no actually."

He leaned in and with a hand on her back gave her playful kiss, "Hi."

"Hi, yourself." She teased back.

She decided that kissing Tony felt like coming home after a long day. It was comfortable and familiar, as if they had been doing it forever. His hand on her back did send little shivers up her spine and reminded her that she was very attracted to him, but it was also warm and made her feel safe.

He rubbed her back gently before moving off to load his dirty laundry into a couple of machines. "So when are you taking your certification test?"

"Next Thursday."

"So I bet between now and then your nose is going to be in a book, huh?"

"As much as I can, yeah. I really want to pass this my first try."

"I was thinking that once you're past this test that I could take you out for dinner and maybe a little dancing. I know this great Brazilian restaurant that has live music." He emphasized his words by doing some silly looking tango or rumba or salsa wanna-be moves.

She giggled as she watched him. "Dinner sounds great but I don't know about that kind of dancing. I wouldn't have a clue."

He surprised her by pulling her into dance pose and started humming some lively Spanish tune, he paused his humming to tease, "Guess I'll just have to teach you." He had way too much fun leading her around the laundry room and only had to grimace once when she stepped on his toe.

He finally stopped dancing but didn't let her go, "So it's a date then?" he asked with a little cock of his head and a squint.

"Yeah. It's a date."

She squealed as he suddenly dipped her and planted a smoldering kiss on her lips.

---------------

Claudia's phone rang early on Saturday morning. She had gotten up early and had her head in one of her accounting books, her coffee off to one side being ignored and getting cold.

"So now that I have been threatened with cold eggs for the next year if I don't drag you and Joshua outside for some fresh air, would you like to go and have some fun?"

"Mmm, that is tempting, Jethro. But my test is coming up and I really need to keep reviewing. So you can tell Betsy you tried."

"Oh, c'mon. You haven't even heard my plan yet."

It was at that moment that one very whiny five-year old made an appearance in the kitchen. He had been feeling a little ignored the past few days with his mother's constant studying. He climbed up in his mother's lap and nuzzled her neck looking for attention.

She just couldn't compete with two of them, "Okay then what is this plan?"

He picked them up at noon and they headed for the baseball field. The local farm team was popular with families, the tickets weren't expensive and the little stadium put on a lot of fun things for the kids to participate in at the games.

Jethro bought Joshua a team ball cap from the vendor and plunked it on his head. They found their seats in the bright sun and got settled. Claudia dug around in her knapsack and found the tube of sunscreen and slathered some on Joshua then offered the tube to Jethro who smirked at Claudia and teased, "Joshua, I think your mom forgot a spot," and he applied the sunscreen to the back of Joshua's neck.

She laughed, "I always miss that spot, on me too."

Without hesitation he said, "Turn around I'll get it."

She gave him a questioning look and his exasperated gesture with his sunscreen filled hands made her chuckle and she just capitulated and turned around so he could reach her neck. He deftly rubbed in the sunscreen then surprised her when he kept massaging her neck.

Claudia would have sworn that every nerve ending in her body stood up at attention when he leaned in near her ear to say quietly, "How many hours a night are you sitting at your kitchen table? You're like one big knot." To emphasize his point he dug his thumb in a particularly tight area and she couldn't help but groan out loud. And his breath in her ear was just doing things to her body that had no business happening in the middle of a stadium full of families.

Seeing her blush he chuckled. And suddenly his hands weren't on her anymore. She turned back around to face front and he gave her a cat-ate-the-canary grin letting her know that he knew exactly what effect he had on her.

She shook her head and promised him, "I will get you for that."

Without missing a beat he teased back, "Oh, I'm looking forward to it."

The team mascot took the field with a flourish and Joshua's attention was captivated. Once the game got underway Jethro very patiently explained the rules of baseball to Joshua and answered the multitude of questions the little boy threw at him.

There were games on the field during the seventh inning stretch for all the kids and Joshua just about dragged Jethro on the field to participate. Claudia was glad she brought her camera and stood at the railing snapping pictures of the boys.

The game ended soon enough and Jethro brought them home. Claudia put Josh down for a nap, because had crashed in the car on the way home, while Jethro made fresh coffee. He stood there leaning a hip against the counter while it brewed. He looked over at her kitchen table and the pile of open accounting textbooks and notes covering it. She was so determined to do well on her test. He had felt the knots in her neck earlier and he recognized that she was killing herself to make it happen. He wished there was something he could do. He realized that she reminded him of Shannon in many ways, both strong, stubborn women.

He was smiling about that to himself when she came into the kitchen, "Mmm, that smells good. I really need coffee." She caught the odd little grin on his face and asked, "Uh, oh. What's that grin for?"

He shook his head lightly, "Nothing."

She gave him a raised eyebrow in disbelief as she opened the cupboard and took down a couple of coffee mugs.

Realizing she wasn't buying it he replied, "I was just thinking that you and Shannon are a lot alike."

She smiled sensing that he didn't talk about Shannon very much, she poured the coffee and prompted, "What was she like?"

His eyes softened, he was surprised by her question but not surprised at the same time. Claudia knew about Shannon and Kelly, and her question was asked out of genuine interest and not some jealous desire to compare herself to Shannon. He had been that route with other women in the past and it turned him off.

He sipped his coffee then said, "She was a strong woman. Tough. She took care of everything while I was deployed and then she took care of everything and me when I got home. She loved to laugh, at me mostly. She was stubborn and loved a good argument. Liked making up too."

He said the last with a little wag of eyebrows that made her giggle, "I bet she kept you on your toes."

"Oh, yeah. And then some." He dropped his eyes lost in a memory, and the expression on his face grew cloudy.

She reached over and took his mug and placed it on the counter next to hers and wrapped her arms around his middle in a tight hug, "She sounds like someone I would've liked to have gotten to know."

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and buried his face in her hair, and just breathed in the scent of her. In the years since Shannon died sex had never been difficult to find but warm, caring touch was never part of it, even he realized to his dismay, in the touches of his three ex-wives. Claudia had efficiently, with one hug, reminded him how much he missed it.

---------------

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By early Wednesday evening Claudia felt like her brain had completely turned to mush. She stood up from her kitchen table and stretched. She decided she was hungry and browsed the refrigerator but nothing appealed to her. She meandered out of the kitchen and wandered around the apartment. She spied her hamper of dirty clothes and realized that it was her normal laundry day. She smiled as she thought about Tony. Grabbing the phone she flopped on the couch and called his number.

"Shouldn't you be studying?" he teased as he answered.

"I think my brain has gone on strike, it doesn't want to study anymore."

"Where's Joshua?"

"A friend from work is keeping him until after my test tomorrow. She's having a couple of her grandsons over too, they're all about the same age."

"Hope she ate her Wheaties today, she'll need the energy. Speaking of food have you had dinner?"

"No, you?"

"Nope. But I'm thinking Chinese. Wanna goof off for a while with me? We can eat and watch a movie and you can recharge your batteries."

"Mmm. That sounds good."

"Well then, why don't you tell me what you want and I'll call and order while you get your cute self up here."

"I'm not fussy, surprise me."

She slipped on her shoes and grabbed her cell phone and keys and headed up to Tony's apartment. She knocked but he didn't answer, then she saw the vague shadow under the door, "Tony, are you staring at me through the peephole?"

He opened the door with a sheepish little grin, "Busted."

As she walked into his apartment she had a weird feeling of almost dejavu, his apartment was just like hers but so vastly different at the same time. Tony caught the look on her face, "I know. Weird huh?"

"Yeah, a little. " She didn't quite know what she expected his apartment to look like and but was surprised none the less. His furniture, although in a plain style was of good quality and in a warm wood. The couch and loveseat were overstuffed and looked extremely comfortable. She smiled when she saw that the living room was setup for the optimum viewing of the big screen television in the corner. Shelves packed full of dvds and books were tucked around the room and she could see photos and mementos placed here and there among them. It was a warm and inviting room, and was comfortable and lived in.

Tony went to the kitchen to grab some sodas and told Claudia to pick a movie. She went to one of the shelves and was running a finger along the dvds trying to pick. She felt him walk up behind her and plunk his chin on her shoulder. "Now that's a good one. Although laughing that hard while eating Chinese may not be such a good idea," he teased as he looked at the dvd her finger rested on.

"You're probably right. How about this one instead?" she asked taking a different dvd down.

"Total chick flick."

She turned her head to look at him on her shoulder and teased back, "And what am I?"

They settled in on the couch and started the movie. They kept the remote between them because they kept pausing the movie to talk. They way they were going, it was going to take them three hours to watch an hour and a half movie.

The food arrived and they dug in. Tony had ordered a ton of food and she teased, "How many people are you feeding?"

"You said to surprise you, so I did. Chopsticks?"

"No, your couch would never recover."

They both had a good chuckle over having that in common and settled back in to eat and finish the movie. Tony, who could quote the movie despite its chick flick status, spent more time watching Claudia than the movie. She had left her soft wavy hair down, he had only seen it up in a ponytail and was surprised to see how long and full it was. He liked how her eyes crinkled when she laughed at the onscreen antics and how relaxed she seemed to be.

He thought it was funny that he hadn't tried to get her into bed yet. He was definitely attracted to her and he almost had to take a cold shower after dancing with her in the laundry room but it wasn't the number one thing on his mind, he just enjoyed spending time with her. The rest would come when it was the right time.

The movie finished and they both stood and picked up the leftovers and brought the dishes to the kitchen. Claudia found a home for the containers in the refrigerator while Tony put the plates in the dishwasher. He leaned back against the counter and pulled her to him when she closed the fridge. "I'm glad you came up."

"Me too."

"So are you going to abandon me now and go back to studying?" he teased.

"I decided earlier that if I don't know it by now that it's hopeless. I'm just studied out."

"I did that for my detective's exam way back when. I made myself nuts over all these oddball cases and rules and none of it was on the test."

"I'm thinking that being calm and relaxed tomorrow is going to be half the battle."

"I can do relaxed. Want to watch something else?"

"Sure. You pick this time."

He gave her little playful kiss and teased, "Yeah, good idea. I've got a one chick flick a night rule." He released her quickly before she could swat him.

Tony picked out another movie and they settled in on the couch with Tony in his favorite corner and Claudia tucked up next to him under his arm. Tony almost weirded himself out with the thought that if Joshua were playing with his toys on the coffee table that everything would just be perfect.

The drama was unfolding on the screen and it had come to a scene where a man was beating his wife and saying really ugly things to her. Tony felt Claudia tense next to him and when he looked at her face he could see that she wasn't looking at the screen but at some random point on the carpet. He hit the pause button quickly realizing that something wasn't right. "Claudia? You okay?"

She sighed, "Sorry. Scenes like that just…" she gestured vaguely.

Something clicked in Tony's head and he asked softly, "Your ex?"

She dropped her head in embarrassment, "Yeah."

"That bad?" he asked pointing to the television.

"Worse." She said flatly.

Tony had a sudden urge to hurt someone, namely her ex. He hated seeing her embarrassed and gently hooked a finger under her chin to have her look at him, "I'm sorry."

She smiled at the genuine concern and anger for her she saw in his eyes, "You have nothing to be sorry for, Tony. It was a long time ago. I'm sorry for letting the movie bother me."

"Look, I don't want to stress you out tonight, but if you need to talk about it I'm here. I don't know if I'll necessarily say the right thing but I'm here. We're not all like him."

She leaned in and kissed him lightly, "You are nothing like him. And you already said the right thing for the record." She proceeded to kiss him deeply. He had the forethought to hit the stop button on the remote then buried his hands in her hair and kissed her until they both needed oxygen.

Movie and tense moment forgotten they both just lost themselves in trying to get closer to each other. They somehow managed, without biting each other's tongue off, to stretch out on the couch with Claudia tucked safely between Tony's solid body and the back of the couch. Tony would have sworn that the temperature in the room went up ten degrees when he felt her slip her hand under his t-shirt and drag her nails down his spine.

He growled into her mouth, "Tease."

She giggled, "I'm a little out of practice here, was that good?"

He groaned and teased back, "I'll give you good," and he kissed her breathless.

Things were heating up nicely when the sudden shrill ringing of Tony's cell phone in the kitchen broke the moment. He dropped his forehead to hers and groaned, "You've got to be kidding."

"Can't ignore it huh?"

He sighed as he extricated himself from her and the couch, "Unfortunately my team is on call."

Tony saw Gibbs' name on the caller id and flipped open the phone, "Yeah, Boss?"

Claudia had to keep from giggling as Tony listened to his boss and butted his forehead on the doorway to the kitchen.

She heard him say, "Got it, Boss. I'll be in the office in fifteen minutes."

He closed his phone and walked back over and sat next to her on the couch, "I uh…"

"I heard."

"I'm sorry."

She rubbed his back and teased, "Could have been worse."

"How?"

"Call could have come in ten minutes later." As he looked at her and what she said sunk in, the both of them burst out laughing.

He kissed her and stood up. They both grabbed their stuff and slipped on their shoes. Tony walked her to her apartment. She opened her door and before she stepped inside she kissed him gently and winked at him, "Go catch the bad guys."

---------------

Tony got to the office just as everyone else was rolling into the bullpen. He was grumpy, and not just because they got called in. He needed a cold shower.

Abby was the first one to see him and seeing his mussed appearance and the look on his face teased, "Hot date, Tony?"
McGee was standing next to her and snorted. Tony leveled a glare at both of them but didn't say a word. It would just have given them ammunition.

Gibbs blew in and right by Tony. He glanced at Tony's disheveled state and commented with a wry little grin, "I interrupt something DiNozzo?"

Tony held up a finger like he was going to make a point, but then thought the better of it and shut his mouth and went to his desk.

As Tony walked away Gibbs caught a faint whiff of perfume that was vaguely familiar, he just couldn't place it.

---------------

The team spent the next twenty-four hours hip deep in a kidnapping case which did not improve any of their moods when they found out it was faked.

When Gibbs got to the office Friday morning, something was nagging him. He had forgotten something and it was bugging him. It finally dawned on him as he was staring at the calendar on his desk. He missed wishing Claudia good luck on her test. It was yesterday.

He knew she was working today and decided to go out later for lunch. When lunchtime rolled around he left the office and headed for the florist nearby. He stewed for a couple of minutes about what flowers best fit the "I'm sorry I forgot you twice now because of work" category and headed for the diner. He didn't see McGee coming out of the deli across the street as he was leaving or the surprised look of Tim's face at the sight of the boss with a big bouquet of tiger lilies.

Claudia was behind the counter of the diner with her back to him when he walked in, "So now that you're done with textbooks you're not gonna start reading Cosmo are you? Cause I think I'll be in trouble if you are."

She turned around with a grin, "And why would you be in trouble, Jethro?"

"I wanted to call you yesterday morning before your test but I got stuck on a case."

"But you came here you're first available moment?"

He smirked, "Well second available moment. I used the first one to get these." He held up the flowers that he had put down on the stool in front him were she couldn't see.

She walked around the counter to stand next to him, "Are those for me?"

He teased softly, "Well since Betsy's not here…"

He laughed as her jaw dropped and then she smiled and swatted him playfully on the arm, "Oh, you!"

Jethro handed her the flowers and took her other hand, "Seriously, how did your test go?"

"Piece of cake. I'll get the results in two weeks but there wasn't anything I hesitated on at all, so I think I aced it."

"I know you did. So what are your plans for the weekend?"

"I promised Joshua a whole weekend of just the two of us. We're going to just goof off. It's been tough to do since I've been in school."

"Those are the best kind of weekends. You guys will have fun. Hey, I better let you get back to work; your boss is giving me the evil eye."

"He's jealous."

"Oh yeah? Bet I can fix that." He claimed her mouth in quick kiss that had the old men near the window whistling and her boss gnashing his teeth.

He left her standing there bemused but paused at the door, "Hey Claud, you know that calling thing?"

"Yeah?"

With a grin he teased as he walked out, "It works both ways you know."

---------------

feedback appreciated :)

---------------

When McGee got back to the office he headed down to see Abby. Her stereo was booming and she was swaying along to it as she worked at the bench. She didn't look up immediately and he took the opportunity to admire the view.

She finished what she was doing and looked up. Seeing McGee she smiled and walked over to turn the stereo down a notch so they could hear themselves talk.

"Abby, is Gibbs seeing anyone?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow and teased, "I don't know McGee, are you sure he's your type?"

He gave her a flat stare, "Abby. That's not even funny."

"Oh, sure it is. But anyway, I don't think he's seeing anyone, why?"

He explained what he saw at lunch, and Abby promised to find out what she could.

---------------

Claudia and Joshua spent Saturday at the beach. She was watching him play with a couple of other children and was just enjoying the sun and sand. The late morning sun was turning into a gorgeous day. She fiddled with her cell phone, itching to call Jethro, his teasing from the day before ringing in her ears.

Joshua came running over and plunked down next to her.

"Did you make some new friends, munchkin?"

"Yeah, that's Becca and Evan."

"I'm glad you found somebody to play with."

"You need somebody to play with, Mummy." He said very seriously.

She laughed and gave him a squeeze, "Go play."

As he scurried off to find his new friends, Claudia picked her cell phone back up and hit a speed dial.

"So you didn't loose my number." He teased in greeting.

She laughed and teased back, "So my five year old just informed me that I need somebody to play with since he found some new little friends here at the beach."

"Got anyone in mind?"

"Depends."

"On?"

"Whether or not you want to come out and play."

A half an hour later she heard Joshua shout, "Jethro!" as he flew across the beach. He giggled as Jethro scooped him up and turned him upside down and tickled him. Claudia smiled as she watched Joshua drag him over to the elaborate series of canals and castles that he and his new friends had been working on building. Jethro was genuinely interested in what the kids had created as he listened to them explain their master plan, but it was the little smirk he shot over to Claudia that made her laugh.

He finally made his way over to sit down next to her on the blanket. He tucked a stray lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear, "You look very relaxed."

She laughed and the sound of it washed over him reminding him of Shannon. No. Not of Shannon, but rather of the warm and relaxed feeling he had with Shannon when they spent time together like this. It was comfortable and familiar and he felt oddly like he had found something that had been missing for a very long time.

"All that I'm missing is a fruity drink with an umbrella and I'd call this a vacation." She said as she stretched her legs and dug her toes into the warm sand.

They started talking, something Jethro wasn't good at normally. But they talked, and teased, and laughed. Joshua dragged them off into the water and they swam, and splashed and played. They built sandcastles and collected sea shells. They bought clam cakes from the take-out shack along the beach for lunch later in the afternoon. After they ate, Joshua went back to playing in the sand with his new friends and Jethro and Claudia stretched out on the blanket to enjoy the sun.

He spied something peeking out of Claudia's beach bag and laughed, "Oh, no. I thought you didn't read Cosmo?"

She rolled over on her side to face him and said, "You keep mentioning it so I decided to see what I was missing."

He read off some of the article titles from the front cover and had her in stitches, laughing. He read the last one and looked back and forth between her and the magazine and with a casual maneuver as he looked in her eyes, tossed the magazine down the beach.

She exclaimed, "Hey!" and tried to catch it with a laugh. He grabbed her hand instead and entwined his fingers with hers and brought it to his lips to kiss her fingers.

She leaned over on her free elbow and teased, "Okay, you're forgiven."

He was playing with her fingers and said quietly, "Don't say that too fast, Claud."

"Uh, oh. That sounds ominous."

"I pulled your service record. I was curious."

"Nosy you mean."

"That too. You were a Petty Officer First Class. That's something to be proud of."

"I am. I worked hard for that. Why would you need to be forgiven for looking it up? My service record should glow."

He didn't say anything for a moment and shook his head back and forth trying to figure out how to put the right words together, he finally just went with the truth, "It does. But Claud, my computer reports are very thorough. And attached to your service record was the information about your restraining order and the MP reports about your ex-husband."

"Oh." She said quietly, not knowing what else to say, "You read them?"

"Yeah."

She suddenly wanted to know how long he knew, and was all his time and attention to her and Joshua out of pity? She suddenly felt sick to her stomach. "When?"

"Tuesday."

"This past Tuesday?"

"Yeah."

She let out an audible sigh of relief, he hadn't known. "Okay, you're forgiven."

He looked up at her suddenly, his blue eyes meeting hers, "You're not mad?"

"No, Jethro. I can't change what happened, and I should have probably just told you but I…"

He cut her off by kissing her.

When he finally let her breathe she teased, "Definitely forgiven." And his deep chuckle warmed her more than the sun beating down on them.

They watched the children playing for a while in comfortable silence. But she knew he had questions. "Ask me, Jethro. Get the questions off your chest."

He asked and she answered. She told him about how domineering and emotionally abusive her ex Rick had gotten after she left the Navy and was pregnant with Joshua. She told him about his becoming physically abusive after Joshua was born, and how it kept escalating until he finally almost put her in the hospital.

"Is that when you left him?"

"Yeah. But not why."

"Why then?"

"Joshua was only two months old and Rick's yelling woke him up and he started crying. Rick kept screaming at Joshua to shut up, but it just made him cry harder. I thought he was going to hurt Joshua and I shoved him away from the crib. That's when Rick lost it and I don't remember much after that. He left me on the floor and stormed out of the house. I called the base police and filed a report and he was arrested. And I packed up and left with Joshua the next day. The rest is history."

"Do you ever see him?"

"No. He doesn't know where we live. He's made threats in the past but doesn't know where to find us. I was awarded sole custody of Joshua and Rick's never even asked to see his son. Joshua doesn't even know what he looks like."

He reached over and stroked her cheek, "It's his loss Claudia. All of it." She turned her face and kissed his hand.

With a little smile she asked him, "Wanna go drown the munchkin again?"

They played in the water and the beach was filled with the sounds of the three of them laughing. Joshua was thrilled that Jethro would take him out farther in the water than his mother would. As the afternoon wound down the three of them were walking along the beach. Joshua was enjoying holding both his mother's hand along with Jethro's.

He looked up at Jethro and asked, "Are you gonna eat supper with us too?"

Jethro looked down with a little smile, "I don't know. Your mom and I haven't talked about supper yet."

"I made it." He proclaimed proudly.

Jethro glanced at Claudia who answered, "Lasagna."

"I smushed together all the cheese. And I put the big noodles in the pan. And Mummy put the sauce on. She said we just have to heat it up."

"There's plenty, Jethro."

Joshua piped up, "Pleaaseee."

---------------

Jethro felt comfortable going to their apartment. He knew Tony was in Baltimore this weekend for a wedding and wouldn't be around. Parking his car he popped the trunk and grabbed his knapsack that held a spare set of clothes, getting out of his sandy, damp swimming trunks was a necessity.

Once they were in her apartment Claudia was chuckling to herself and announced to Jethro, "Okay, I'm on KP duty that leaves bath patrol for the munchkin for you."

She dug out towels and pajamas for Joshua and left a grinning Jethro alone in the bathroom with Joshua, deciding that the two of them could fend for themselves. She popped the lasagna in the oven and set the table and chuckled when she heard the sound of laughter coming from the bathroom.

A little while later a clean Joshua zipped down the hallway and headed for the living room to play with his toys. Claudia peeked around the corner in the bathroom to see Jethro mopping up water off the floor. He gave her a sheepish little grin and explained, "Sea battle."

She teased back, "You lost I take it?"

He laughed, "Ah, yeah."

She handed him a dry towel, "You've got time if you want a shower, I know the salt water and sand isn't comfortable."

He took the towel and teased suggestively, "Gonna scrub my back?"

"Only if you want to wait until Joshua goes to bed for that shower." She threw out at him as she left the bathroom.

He took a quick one and so did Claudia. When she made her way back to the kitchen she saw something that made her pause. Jethro was in the kitchen pouring them each a coffee. He was wearing a white t-shirt and soft faded jeans and was barefoot. Now, she had seen him barefoot all day, but there was just something so personal, so private about seeing him this way in her kitchen that it stopped her in her tracks.

They ate dinner and watched half of a cartoon dvd before Joshua crashed on the floor of the living room, the sun and fresh air catching up with him. Claudia was going to pick him up and put him to bed but Jethro beat her to it and scooped up the sleeping child. He followed Claudia to Joshua's bedroom and gently slid him under the covers.

Once Joshua was settled they left the room and closed his door most of the way behind them. He slipped his arm around her as they headed back to the kitchen. They put the leftovers away and scraped the plates. Shutting off the lights in the kitchen Claudia unconsciously started her normal evening routine of locking and dead bolting the door and shutting off lights and the television. Jethro was leaning up against the doorjamb in the living room with a bemused expression. "I think this is the first time I've ever been locked in a woman's apartment."

She teased back, "I'm sorry, did you want to leave?" as she gestured towards the door.

He pulled her into his arms and said softly as his lips brushed hers, "Not until tomorrow."

---------------

---------------

Claudia woke up a little disoriented. She wasn't sleeping on her normal side of the bed. The warm body pressed up behind her reminded her why she was on this particular side of the bed and she smiled as she snuggled closer. The arm around her waist squeezed her in tighter and she felt his warm breath on her neck. As she drifted back into a content and sated sleep the thought that she could get used to this crossed her mind.

When the morning sun streamed into her bedroom and woke Claudia she realized she was by herself in bed. Frowning, she hoped that Jethro hadn't felt the need to sneak out of the apartment before Joshua woke up. She had never had a man stay the night since her divorce and didn't exactly know how to explain it to Joshua, but she wasn't going to try and hide it.

She stuck her head out of the bedroom and smelled coffee. That was a good sign. She paused in the hallway when she heard giggling coming from the kitchen. Quietly peeking her head around the corner she was treated to the sight of Jethro standing in front of the stove with Joshua sitting on the counter next to it supervising whatever it was that Jethro was cooking.

She heard Jethro ask Joshua, "What next?"

"A turtle!" Joshua giggled.

"One turtle coming up." Claudia realized they were making pancakes and watched as Jethro picked up the bowl of batter and with Joshua spooned batter carefully into the pan on the stove.

Jethro was having a happy flashback to doing this same thing with Kelly. He remembered when he had been a very young Marine and new father, he had been deployed and a bunch of the guys were shooting the breeze about how they reconnect with their kids when they get home. One sergeant with four teenagers told him about making "Daddycakes" and Jethro had paid close attention. Daddycakes had been a huge hit with Kelly. And now he was sharing it with Joshua who was equally enthralled.

He sensed Claudia watching them and pulled down another mug and poured her a coffee. Joshua saw her, "Mummy! We're making pancakes."

She walked over to them and kissed Joshua on the forehead, "I see. Are you helping?"

"Yep. That's a turtle." He counted off on his little fingers all the other shapes they made.

Jethro handed her the mug he had poured with a little sheepish grin. She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips and teased, "Having fun?"

His eyes danced with humor and he cocked his head and replied, "Yeah."

The three of them ate the multi-shaped pancakes with Joshua providing a running commentary on the whole process of making them. Claudia thought it was odd that Joshua didn't comment on Jethro being there this morning, unless Jethro had come up with some brilliant way to explain it before she got up. The three of them sitting there together just felt right.

After he finished eating, Joshua made a beeline for the television to watch the rest of his dvd from the night before, leaving his mother and Jethro sitting opposite each other at the kitchen table.

They each nursed their coffee. The silence between them was loud but it wasn't uncomfortable. Finally Claudia asked, "So did he ask…?"

Jethro shook his head, "Nope. Not a peep. Just said hi."

Claudia got up and started stacking the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. She was suddenly a little unsure of how to act or what to say, which was out of character for her. She wasn't surprised to suddenly feel Jethro's hands on her shoulders. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just, um…" she started to say and turned to face him, "You know, maybe I should start reading Cosmo so I'll know what say in situations like this."

"Situations like this?" he teased.

She laughed, "Well aren't I supposed to say something witty or something. I don't know. Something to stroke your ego about how great last night was?"

"Oh, I know how great last night was. I was there remember?"

They both laughed and retreated back to their coffees. Jethro left before lunchtime and Claudia noted that the apartment oddly seemed a little empty.

---------------

Claudia decided to spend sometime unpacking the moving boxes still tucked into the corners of the apartment. It gave her time to think, time to sort out how utterly surreal her life had become. It would certainly be easy to let Jethro become a fixture in her life. But was that something that she wanted?

Her life was finally back on track after working so hard to finish her degree and to plan for her and Joshua's future. In all her planning and dreaming she hadn't included having a man in her life, or in her current case, two.

And wasn't that just a fine mess. Tony would be just as easy as Jethro to let in. Both were good solid men, wonderful with Joshua, and sexier than any two men had a right to be. Her attraction to both was equal. She didn't put one over the other in her mind, it was more like they each had their own compartment, separate yet equal. If it came down to choosing she wouldn't even know where to begin.

Claudia carefully folded another box flat and scowled at it. Her moving boxes showed the evidence of being reused many times, and in reality they had been. And not necessarily by choice as somehow, some way her ex-husband kept finding out where they lived and threatening her. The restraining order was almost not worth the paper it was printed on, and he frightened her. She really hoped this would be the last move for a while.

---------------

Tony was thinking about his life on the two hour drive back from Baltimore. The wedding last night had almost been unbearable. It would have been if it hadn't been for the open bar. He should have dragged Claudia with him. She would have protected him from the aunties and grandmothers that wanted to introduce him to their single female relatives. She would have protected him from the bitter, divorced barracudas that pounced on him seeing an Armani suit. It should have been a fun evening of food, liquor and dancing. Instead he found himself brooding out on the hotel balcony with a stiff drink.

He knew that in the grand scheme he was a "good catch". He had a great job, a college degree, good looks, and a sense of humor. The trouble was that he was discovering that he didn't want a woman that thought of him as a great catch. He wanted someone warm and caring. Someone he could make smile just by saying something silly. Someone that would give him all the things in a family that he never had growing up. Someone like Claudia.

He had been hounded by old acquaintances about how many kids he had, and they were all shocked when he told them none. He found himself brooding about that out on the balcony as well. And now thinking about it more as he drove, visions of a little sandy-haired boy asking him to play and winking back at him came to mind and he smiled. He thought about the big hug Joshua had given him and Tony felt a twinge in his chest that he wasn't expecting.

The trouble with the whole picture was that he just couldn't commit. And contrary to what his friends and co-workers would probably say to that, it wasn't about being monogamous. He could handle that. It was the idea of being in a relationship that was twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. That was the part of commitment that terrified him. And there was no way to have a wife and family and get around that.

---------------

Tony decided to stop at the grocery store on the way home to try and find something other than take-out for dinner. Nothing appealed to him and he was standing in front of the ice cream case when he pulled out his phone and called Claudia.

"Please help me." He pleaded.

"Tony, what's wrong?" she asked, a little concerned at his words.

He laughed and that put her at ease, "Well I'm standing here trying to decide if I want chocolate chip cookie dough or butter pecan ice cream for dinner."

"For dinner?"

"Yeah. I've walked up and down all these aisles and there is no food here."

"You're at the grocery store?"

"Yeah. No food."

She laughed at his sincerity, "Somehow I'm finding that hard to believe. If you're that lazy and don't want to cook just go to the deli and get yourself some lunch meat and make a big sandwich. That's much healthier than ice cream."

"See I knew there was I reason I called you. That actually sounds good."

He made his way to the deli counter chatting with her the whole way. He told her about the wedding, but not about getting hassled or his reaction to it. He ordered his lunch meat and grabbed some rolls and headed for the check out.

There was something in his voice that made her wonder if something was bothering him, "Tony, is everything okay?"

Standing in the checkout line in the grocery store was so not the place Tony wanted to have this conversation but he answered her, "I should have dragged you with me."

"You didn't have fun did you?"

"Um, no."

"Let me guess, the old ladies and the man eater's club all hassled you."

He sighed, how did she know? "Yeah."

"Sorry. Maybe you're right about needing ice cream."

He laughed, he knew that somehow she would make him feel better about the whole disaster. "So are we still on for Friday?"

"Absolutely, as long as you're wearing steel toe dress shoes."

"You'll do fine. I got to go, time to pay."

They said a quick goodbye and Tony was smiling as he left the store. He had definitely been looking for the wrong thing all these years.

---------------
tbc....feedback appreciated!!

---------------
The week went by quickly and Claudia found herself really looking forward to her date with Tony. She had spoken with both he and Jethro a couple of times during the course of the week and the more she interacted with the two men the more it affirmed that she would never be able to choose between them.

Betsy was keeping Joshua overnight with her grandson and although she was surprised that the date in question wasn't Jethro she didn't say anything. She just hoped Claudia knew what she was doing playing with fire like that. It was a good way to lose both men.

Claudia again found herself in front of her closet bemoaning what she should wear. She wanted something sexy and flirty that she could dance in. Flipping hangers out of the way at lightspeed she came across a dress she had forgotten she had. She took the dress out of the closet with a big grin, knowing that it was perfect. If it still fit.

It was a sexy red silk wrap around halter dress that she had bought in Spain on her last deployment before having Joshua, she had never had the opportunity to wear it. She slipped it on and sent up a silent prayer of thanksgiving that it still fit. She dug out a pair of strappy high heels that hadn't seen the light of day in years and took a good look in the mirror at the whole package. Not bad for thirty-five she thought. She just hoped Tony thought so.

Tony knocked on her door a couple of minutes early, he had admitted to himself earlier that he was excited about their date. And dates weren't normally something he got excited over.

"Whoa." Was all he could say when she opened the door. Her hair was down and soft, and she had on a bit more makeup than usual. And that dress was something else. He had not quite envisioned that she could be this sexy.

"Is that a good ‘whoa' or a go-put-something-else-on ‘whoa'?" she teased.

He took her hands in his and made a show of looking her up and down, "That was a wow-you-look-amazing whoa."

Once in his car he had to laugh, she was running her hands all over the interior biting her lip in excitement. "Now this is a car." She had seen it before in the parking lot, but this was her first opportunity to really appreciate it.

He raised his eyebrow in surprise, "You like cars?"

She laughed, "I grew up in a small town where the boys talked about two things, Tony, football and cars. If you wanted to impress them you had to know one or both."

"So do you know one or both?" he teased.

"Just wait until football season starts and you'll find out." She laughed.

They arrived at the restaurant and Claudia was caught up in looking around in curiosity, there was just color and decoration everywhere. Meanwhile Tony got caught up in watching her. She met his eyes across the table and saw the little grin quirking up the corners of his mouth, "What's so funny, Tony?"

"I just like watching you."

She gave him a skeptical look, "Watching me do what?"

He sipped his water and replied honestly, "Everything."

She didn't quite know how to answer that and instead she blushed splendidly and looked down at the menu. It took her a moment but she realized the menu was all in Spanish which she couldn't translate. Seeing her plight, Tony inched his chair closer and they shared a menu as he translated in his best Ricky Ricardo impersonation.

He had her laughing so hard by the time the waiter came back that she finally gasped out, "Just order something for me."
He ordered while she tried to compose herself. He loved the fact that he could make her laugh like that. He suspected that she hadn't done much of that in the last five or so years and he decided that he needed to rectify that.

Claudia sipped her water and tried to get over her case of the giggles although the waiter with his thick accent didn't help. But she did get a kick out of Tony answering in near fluent Spanish.

They were enjoying a glass of wine and conversation when the music got a little louder and Tony's eyes grew large, "Oh, oh, oh. You've got to see this." He stood and shifted her chair around so she could see the dance area. He swung his own chair closer to hers just as a tall, beautiful couple took the dance floor. Their costumes were as bright as the rest of the décor in the restaurant. They moved in perfect symmetry to the sensual South American music. Claudia was enthralled just watching them although Tony's proximity was more than a little distracting. Tony was torn between watching the dancers and watching Claudia, finally somehow managing to do both.

When their dance was finished, the restaurant exploded in applause and Tony just laughed when Claudia turned to him and teased, "You did remember the steel toe shoes right?"

They ate a leisurely dinner and had great fun sampling off each other's plates. Tony shared some funny anecdotes about work but he was a little reticent to share too much about the team or the nastiness they dealt with on a regular basis, she had had enough of that in her own life. Claudia told him about some of her travels with the Navy and her adventures growing up in a small town.

The dinner plates had been cleared and Claudia could see a glint in Tony's eye that let her know she was in trouble. He confirmed it by standing and dragging her over to the dance floor. By the second song Claudia loosened up and lost her self-consciousness and began to get the hang of the dancing. Good dancer, bad dancer, Tony didn't care, he was just enjoying himself more than he had in a very long time.

He knew the restaurant and dancing had been a big hit when Claudia was humming and dancing all the way out to the car. He flinched in surprise when they reached the car and she suddenly spun around with an impish look on her face asked, "Can we put the top down?"

Seeing her standing there biting her lip in anticipation he shook his head and chuckled, "Your wish is my command."

In short order the top was down and the radio tuned to a Latino club mix. Tony glanced over as they drove so see her swaying along with the music with her eyes closed and a blissful look on her face.

"Claudia, can I ask you something?" he said, curious about something.

"Sure. Anything."

"What were you like right before you met your ex?"

"I worked hard. I took my job seriously, and it came first. But I loved to play too. You know what I mean? Stuff like tonight, it's just perfect. Cutting loose, just having fun."

"Yeah. I know exactly what you mean. My job responsibilities always have to come first. It makes having a regular life hard sometimes."

"Does that even exist any more?"

"What?"

"A regular life?"

"According to the little old ladies that were at the wedding last weekend it does."

"Well, they sound like the same little old ladies that come in to the diner and tell me that I need to find a nice man to marry so he'll take care of me. I think their version of regular is overrated."

"Yeah. I just felt like Tony the Two Headed Freak at the wedding with everyone trying to tell me how I should be living my life."

Claudia laughed, "I've had that problem for years. I finally gave up caring and decided that I'm just shooting for happy instead."

"Happy, huh?"

"Yup. I want to raise a healthy, happy child and be able say in ten years that I've earned every laugh line on my face."

Tony contemplated that for a minute, deciding that was probably the healthiest philosophy he had ever heard. A new song came on the radio with a quick beat, and he made her squeal when he put his foot down and let the little sports car zip along like it was made to do.

They got back to their apartment building, both with windblown hair and huge smiles plastered on their faces. Tony efficiently put the top back up and took Claudia's offered hand when he was finished. She had the same impish grin on her face from before and he squinted at her, "What's that look for?"

She tried to put on an angelic face and teased, "What would I have to bribe you with to let me drive your car?"

He pulled her in for a kiss that made her toes curl and when he let her up for air he whispered, "Come upstairs and I'm sure we can think of something."

---------------

Claudia woke the next morning to the sensation of lying on her back with Tony's head on her chest and his arm wrapped possessively around her middle. She smiled thinking that Joshua did the same thing when he would sneak in her bed when he had a bad dream. She ran her fingers through Tony's hair and realized that given what he had told her about his home life that he probably never had anyone to cling to when he had a bad dream. It also didn't sound like any of his past girlfriends had exactly been the nurturing type. It made her a little sad thinking that no one had ever really shown this funny, gentle man any affection. She thought about his reaction to her simply feeding him and folding his laundry that first night and his obvious discomfort over the wedding he attended. He didn't just need affection and nurturing. He was almost starving for it.

That realization hit her hard and she leaned down and kissed the top of his head. He stirred a little and squeezed her tighter. His voice breaking the silence of the room startled her, "What time do you have to go get Joshua?"

"Sneaky. I thought you were sleeping. I told Betsy around noon." Her hand drifted down and she trailed her fingertips along his back.

"Good. Then we have time."

"Time for what?" she questioned.

A heartbeat later he had himself positioned on top of her, pressing her into her with his weight and said, "Time for this." He whispered as he kissed her.

A long while later after they had said good morning in a long leisurely manner and showered Claudia was in the kitchen wearing only a borrowed NCIS t-shirt and trying to figure out how to use Tony's space-aged coffee pot when she felt strong arms snake around her and a husky voice whisper in her ear, "You know I will never be able to look at that t-shirt the same way again."

Claudia's inner imp came out again and she teased back, "Sorry, should I take it off?"

Tony just dropped his head to her shoulder and groaned.

Eventually they had coffee and Claudia slipped down to her apartment to find some jeans and she and Tony went to pickup Joshua.

And somehow in her heart Claudia realized that she was in fact falling in love with both Tony and Jethro. Equally and completely. And her heart sunk a little as she thought about how deep the hole was that she was digging for herself.

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tbc...feedback feeds the muse!

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They picked up Joshua and went to the park for the afternoon with a Frisbee. Tony liked the fact that Joshua didn't hesitate to hold his hand. He also liked the fact that the little boy liked to horse around, something Tony was particularly good at. They all laughed and carried on the whole afternoon and when they were all tired out, especially one previously rambunctious five year old, Tony's smile couldn't have gotten any bigger when Joshua held his arms up to Tony to be carried.

Claudia watched Tony pick up Joshua who snuggled up to Tony and promptly fell asleep. She noticed the look of awe on Tony's face and how gently yet protectively he held onto Joshua. He really did have the makings of being a great father, even if he didn't know it.

Tony's mind was reeling. Being someone's father had been a huge question mark in his life. Did he want it? Would he be good at it? Would he screw it up? The little heartbeat next to his was a feeling he never thought he really wanted, and more importantly never thought he'd have. Yet he knew at this moment that he wanted this, this irregular regular life. Claudia and Joshua. A family. And all the insanity that it brought with it.

---------------

She thought she saw him through the window of the diner on Wednesday. But when she looked again he was gone. Claudia shook her head and sent up a silent prayer to whatever benevolent deity was listening to keep her ex-husband far, far away from her and Joshua.

Heading out to her car to pick Joshua up at the sitter's after work her cell rang with Jethro's name flashing on the caller id. She smiled as she answered and leaned up against her car as she talked to him.

The pair of eyes watching her from down the street narrowed as he took in her body language. She was laughing and he just knew she was flirting with whoever was on the other end of that call. She was in love. How dare she.

Jethro's team had had a rough couple of days and the director ordered them to take Thursday and Friday off and knowing Claudia wasn't working on Thursday he wanted to spend some time with her and Joshua. They opted for a quiet day at Jethro's house and cooking out on the grill. She knew Jethro was dying to show Joshua the infamous boat in his basement, he was at times a very easy man to read.

---------------

Claudia collected Joshua from the sitter's and they made their way home. Pulling into the lot at the apartment she smiled seeing Tony pulling in alongside her.

"Tony!" Joshua exclaimed as Tony opened up the back door of Claudia's car to let Joshua out of his booster seat.

"Hey, squirt!"

Claudia grabbed her purse off the seat and got out. Tony had Joshua out and had grabbed Joshua's knapsack out of the backseat. No one saw the angry man watching them from the car across the street.

"Hi." He said leaning in to give Claudia a light kiss. Not meaning to but unable to help it his nose wrinkled up at the smell wafting from her uniform.

She caught the look and apologized, "Hi. Sorry about Greasy Spoon No. 5. I got stuck working the grill all day. I may have to take two showers to get rid of the smell."

"Bet you aren't going to miss that when you start working in an office."

"Not a bit. You look tired."

Tony nodded lazily, "Yeah, rough couple of days. Nothing a hot shower and twelve hours of sleep won't cure."

"You better rest up for Saturday." Tony had seen a flyer on the community bulletin board in the break room at work advertising a kid's carnival complete with rides, ponies, and special guest appearances by some favorite cartoon characters. He had pinched the flyer from the board and made a quick photocopy of it before anyone saw his interest in it. Claudia loved the idea and they decided not to tell Joshua but would just surprise him with it on Saturday.

"Hmm…maybe eighteen hours of sleep instead. I'll try and store up some energy like a battery."

Claudia chuckled, "I've been trying to figure out how to do that for years. Let me know if you find a way."

Tony walked them to their apartment and they said quick goodbyes in the doorway, both of them needing a shower, some dinner, and sleep. Tony really liked the fact that Claudia wasn't a clingy type of woman that demanded his full attention all the time. It seemed to make the time that they spent together all the better. And he really was looking forward to Saturday.

---------------

The next morning broke sunny and pleasant and Jethro was up early as usual. Coffee mug in hand he headed out to the shed to inspect his barbeque grill. It had not seen any use in a very long time he realized as he took in the rust and cobwebs decorating it. He realized it wasn't just the grill that bore the signs of disuse, his whole house did. It was clean and tidy. The lawn trimmed and neat. But it was just a place he came to when he wasn't working. It had no warmth, no personality. It was just a house, not a home.

He sat down on the back step and tried to take stock. His marriages to his three ex-wives had been unmitigated disasters. None of them could understand his passion for his job, nor could they understand what it took from him to be face to face with the worst society had to offer on a daily basis. None of his ex's would just give him space. They wanted him to talk and share and they wanted to coddle him to the point of nausea. They couldn't understand that he just couldn't share the horrors of the things he experienced with them. The resented his need for privacy, resented the time he spent working, and resented his refusal to be coddled. His last relationship with Hollis he thought could have been different. But in the end she wanted more of him than he could give and he had suffocated. And he was back at square one.

But then he met Claudia and for some reason she was different. She took what time he could give her. She didn't press for details about the ugly cases he had been working on, and didn't prod at him when he really just wanted to be alone to try and sort out the demons scratching at him. She had just reminded him to eat and told him she was there if he needed to talk. If he needed to talk she had said, not a demand, not a whine, just an open-ended offer of support.

And then there was Joshua. Joshua, who had wormed his way into Jethro's heart instantly. All of those paternal yearning and desires Jethro had thought he had hidden away so well had come back in a flood.

As he gazed down into his empty coffee mug Jethro realized with stunning clarity that he was falling in love with Claudia. And with the idea of having a family again. But he just didn't know if he were up to the challenge of doing full-time. Families needed time and attention and didn't need fathers that sequestered themselves in the basement with a half-finished boat for nights on end. He sighed heavily and went inside for more coffee, hoping that maybe in time he would have more perspective on the situation.

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tbc...feedback adored ;)

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Around ten o'clock Claudia and Joshua pulled into the drive and were greeted by Jethro coming around from the back yard.
Joshua ran straight to him and was scooped up and held upside down and tickled. Claudia had walked over to them in a more sedate pace and was given a much gentler greeting with a warm kiss.

With Jethro still holding a laughing Joshua upside down they started walking towards the back yard and he said playfully, "You want the good news or the bad news?"

Claudia shook her head, "Let's start with the bad."

"We don't have a grill."

She laughed not exactly expecting that, "Um. Okay. I think we can rally around that. So what's the good news?"

He tickled Joshua one final time and carefully turned him right side up, "I get to drag you shopping for a new grill."

She rubbed her temple in mock protest, "Oh really."

He knelt down next to Joshua, "Whatdaya think, Joshua? Want to help pick out the new barbeque grill?"

"Are you gonna get a big one?"

"Well, we'll have to see what they have at the store."

She looked at the expectant looks on both their faces and laughed, "It's got to be genetic. Men and their grills. "

Jethro teased her, "He's starting young. I waited until I was twelve."

"It's definitely in the genes."

Both adults almost had tears running down their cheeks from laughing so hard at Joshua's next very serious comment as he patted his pockets, "Mummy, I don't have anything in my jeans."

---------------

A short while later they pulled into a mammoth home and garden store and they found themselves in barbeque grill heaven. Or hell in Claudia's case. A grill was a grill right? Jethro and Joshua had a grand time inspecting all the display models from top to bottom with Jethro patiently explaining all the inner workings to a very impressed Joshua. Claudia entertained herself by snapping pictures of the two of them with the digital camera she always carried in her purse. She had decided a long time ago to always carry a camera because happy little moments in life come and go too quickly and she didn't want to miss any of them.

Eventually her two experts decided on an averaged-sized, averaged-priced grill and loaded up the box into the cart and they headed for the check out. Joshua was completely enthralled with the idea that they had to assemble the grill and he really wanted to know how they got the big, tall grill in the short, fat box. Claudia was avoiding the discussion completely and leafed through a home decorating magazine while they waited in line. She glanced up at a peal of laughter from Joshua and smiled with her gaze falling to the crowd of people near the far end of the store.

Her heart skipped more than one beat when she saw her ex-husband standing in the crowd, glaring at her. She dropped the magazine and frantically checked to be sure Joshua was next to her and when she looked back up towards the crowd, Rick was gone, if he had been there to begin with. Claudia knew that for the longest time after she left him that she saw him everywhere and that it was a fear driven creation. Jethro picked up the dropped magazine and looked at Claudia, "You okay?" He noted that she had gone very pale, like she had seen a ghost or something and he could see her scanning the crowd at the far end of the store, as if looking for someone.

She took the magazine back, "Um. Yeah. Just thought I saw someone I knew."

She was saved from further questions by it becoming their turn to check out, Joshua instantly charmed the cashier and she presented him with a bright orange balloon to his delight. They got the box wrangled into the trunk of the car and headed for the grocery store. Jethro noticed Claudia scanning the parking lot as they were leaving, again looking for someone.

---------------

The experience of a grocery store trip with an active five year old was something Jethro had forgotten. There were just too many choices and he wanted them all. They grabbed some watermelon and stuff to make homemade potato salad and some chicken and headed for the checkout. On the way, Claudia realized they forgot barbeque sauce back at the other end of the store. Seeing Jethro holding the basket with one hand and Joshua's hand in the other she offered, "You guys head go ahead and get in line, I'll run."

Jethro and Joshua continued on their way to the checkout when they ran into someone completely unexpected at the end of the aisle, Hollis Mann.

"Jethro." Came her cool greeting.

"Hollis." He replied equally coolly.

Joshua didn't say anything but looked between the two adults, never let it be said that a five year old can't read body language and the tension coming off the two adults was almost tangible. He didn't know who the lady was talking to Jethro but he could tell she made him nervous and he squeezed Jethro's hand in support.

Jethro felt the squeeze and looked down at Joshua who beamed a smile back up at him. Hollis looked down to see Joshua and a new understanding of Jethro was formulating in her mind. "Joshua, this is my friend Hollis, Hollis this is my friend Joshua."

She forced a little smile on her face and said kindly, "Hello, Joshua. It's nice to meet you."

He was suddenly a little shy but in a small voice answered, "Hi."
Jethro desperately wanted to slip away from Hollis before Claudia came back. His luck wasn't that good. Joshua saw his mother at the far end of the aisle and slipped his hand out of Jethro's to go skipping towards her.

Hollis looked at Claudia and Joshua and saw the tender expression on Jethro's face as he watched Joshua safely arrive at his mother and even more understanding bloomed in her mind.

Turning back to her he said, "Hol…"

She interrupted him, "Don't. You don't owe me an explanation."

"I never meant…"

She just wouldn't let him get a word out edgewise, "We've said all there is to say, Jethro. I just wish I had been the one to put that expression on your face." She reached over and brushed a non-existent piece of lint off of his shoulder and looked him square in the eye, "Don't screw this one up, Jethro. You're running out of second chances."

"I'm sorry, Hol."

She nodded and turned to go, "I know. Me too."

She walked away and he turned to meet Claudia and Joshua, she could tell by the hangdog look on his face that something about the woman that he had been talking to was bothering him. She didn't press the issue, figuring that he would tell her in his own time. She just put the barbeque sauce in the basket and putting a gentle hand on his back she gently rubbed while they waited in line. It only took a minute for him to turn to her with a wane little smile and say quietly for her ears only, "Hollis."

It was all he needed to say. He had told her about Hollis they day they spent at the beach. She knew he had cared for Hollis and that they were very similar people but in the end she wanted things from him he just couldn't give her. Claudia just nodded to him and kept rubbing his back knowing full well that Jethro was another one starved for comfort and affection.

---------------

They got back to the house and Claudia commandeered the kitchen while the boys headed to the backyard to assemble the grill. She looked around a little and realized that something was bothering her and it took her a while to figure it out. There was no color in the house. Everything was a neutral shade, no warmth anywhere. Not even a random red potholder. She put the potatoes on to boil for the potato salad and wandered into the living room. She was met with more shades of tan and beige. Even her dentist's office had more color than this.

A bookshelf tucked in the corner drew her attention and she saw a couple of photos tucked in between stacks of old western novels. One picture in particular caught her eye and she lifted it down and smiled, it had to be Kelly. The little girl had little red, white, and blue stars painted on her face and she was wearing an American flag t-shirt waving around a big cotton-candy, the photo's background looked like some sort of parade or carnival. The little girl had a beautiful smile that was all Jethro.

Jethro and Joshua slipped in the back door for Joshua to take a much needed potty break and after showing him where the bathroom was Jethro realized that Claudia wasn't in the kitchen but was wandering around his living room. As much as he wanted her and Joshua here, in his house, he didn't know if he were ready for her to see that much of him, to be so exposed, for her to see how much he didn't have to offer, how empty his life had become, how sterile. Her apartment with its unpacked moving boxes stacked in the corners and no curtains was homier than the house he had lived in for years.

Somehow though when he saw her standing at the bookshelf looking at the picture of Kelly all those fears and self-doubts went away when she turned to him, smiled and said, "She was a beautiful child, Jethro. I see your smile right there."

He had a huge lump in his throat as he took the few steps towards her to close the distance, and he looked down at the picture she was holding. Clearing his throat he told her, "She was five there. It was the big Fourth of July parade. I was marching with my unit and Kelly and Shannon were watching. I still remember hearing her yell ‘Daddy' when we went by. It was a great day."

Before she could say anything Joshua stuck his head between them and asked, "Who's that?"

Jethro gave Claudia a panicked look, not knowing what exactly to say. She knelt down so Joshua could see the picture better, "This is Jethro's little girl Kelly."

"She doesn't live with you?" Joshua asked brightly. He knew other kids on the playground like him that lived with their moms or dads and not both.

Claudia hooked a finger under his chin so he would look at her, she only did this when what she was saying was important so he listened hard, "No, Joshua, she doesn't live here. Kelly is in heaven with the angels, sweetie."

His little face grew sad, "Like Grandma?"

"Yes, like Grandma."

Joshua turned to Jethro and flung himself around one of his legs, "I bet you miss Kelly. I miss Grandma."

Jethro scooped him up and squeezed him tight, "I do miss her a lot, Joshua. But she and your Grandma are in heaven watching over all of us."

Joshua twisted around to look at the picture, "Kelly's pretty."

Claudia reached over and ruffled his hair, "Yes, she is. Now is the grill put together yet?

He giggled, "No, Mummy we just started."

She put the picture back on the shelf and with and with an exaggerated throwing up of her arms teased, "What are you doing in here goofing off. Back to work you!" She gave him a little poke in the belly causing more giggles.

He slid down and out of Jethro's arms and grabbed his hand pulling him towards the kitchen. Claudia followed them and after checking on the potatoes, grabbed her camera and went out to watch the Jethro and Joshua show.

---------------

It seemed to take an inordinate amount of time for them to assemble the grill. Although she suspected a lot of goofing off with a certain wooden lady downstairs when the boys would make "tool runs" to the basement. Realizing that it couldn't possibly take more than a wrench and a screwdriver to put the grill together and also realizing that the boys had been missing for a half hour while she made the potato salad, got the corn on the cob wrapped and ready for the grill and had the chicken marinating in the barbeque sauce. She finally gave up hope of seeing them again until hunger drove them from the basement and went outside and picked up the assembly instructions.

Twenty minutes later the grill was assembled and the packaging picked up. She didn't light it; she drew the line at that. Charcoal and lighter fluid was definitely a household chore that fell in the "male" category in her book, right up there with killing spiders and mowing grass. Instead she made her way down the basement steps and teased the two sawdust coated boys, "Should I just put the chicken in the oven?"

Two sets of eyes turned towards her and Jethro looked a little sheepish, "Sorry. We got a little distracted."

"I see that." She chuckled

The two of them reluctantly put down the sanding blocks and brushed off their hands. They followed Claudia upstairs.

The boys walked outside and she laughed out loud when she heard Joshua's little piping voice exclaim, "Mummy put it together."

Jethro's deep laugh joined in, "Yes, she did. I guess we'd better light it so we can eat sometime today."

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The grill was carefully lit and when the coals were hot the food was cooked to perfection. Sitting at the picnic table in the backyard that hadn't seen use in years the three of them ate with Joshua explaining to his mother all about the boat downstairs and how much work was left to be done on it. Claudia looked at Jethro sitting next to Joshua and saw that he looked very relaxed, the same relaxed she had seen when he was standing barefoot in her kitchen.

They finished eating and cleared the table, bringing everything inside. She could see they were both itching to go back to the boat and she finally shooed them out of the kitchen. Without them underfoot it only took a few minutes to put everything away and load the dishwasher. With a final wipe of the counter she grabbed the camera and snuck downstairs.

After watching them work for a while and taking loads of pictures she found herself sitting on the stairs leaning her head against the wall and dozing off contently listening to the soft country radio station Jethro had playing downstairs.

Claudia forced herself to open her eyes when she felt someone rubbing her arm and calling her name. Jethro's blue eyes came into focus and she smiled. He teased, "You're going to fall on your nose trying to sleep on the stairs."

"Mummy needs a nap." Joshua gave his opinion from the other side of the boat.

Jethro chuckled, "Yes, she does. I'll be right back. Keep sanding." He pulled her into a standing position and led her upstairs and then upstairs again to the second floor where he opened a door to what she somehow knew was his bedroom.

It would have broken her heart if his bedroom had been more bland diet tan, instead she got a goofy grin seeing the rich navy blue tones in the comforter and curtains, the baby blue walls and sheets complimenting the navy. He had framed paintings of schooners on the walls and a real-life ship in a bottle on the dresser. It was serene. This was who he was. Her smile broadened as she thought about it. He pushed her to sit on the bed and he slipped off her shoes and swung her legs up. He saw her expression and asked, "What's that grin for?"

"I like the blue."

Somehow he suspected it was more than that but he left it alone, "Take a nap. We're going to play a while longer downstairs."

"Okay. I won't argue." She snuggled down into the pillow that smelled faintly like his shampoo and sawdust and was asleep instantly. It had been a long week and it wasn't over yet.

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Claudia woke with a start, not realizing immediately where she was. It took a moment to sort out that she was snuggled up against Jethro's chest as he lay stretched out on the bed reading one of his many dime-store western novels by the dim light of the bedside lamp. She also took in the fact that it was now dark outside, and she had no idea how long she had been asleep.

His strong hand stroked her back, "Hi. Have a good nap?"

"What time is it? Where's Joshua?"

He chuckled, "It's only nine o'clock. Joshua and I ate some leftovers and he had a bath and is now out cold across the hall in the spare room."

He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, "I think you were running on fumes, Claud."

She didn't want him to see her like this, to see her exhausted and at the brink. No one knew how tired she was all the time. It all just wore her down and as much as she tried to stay upbeat and happy eventually she crashed. She really hoped that the switch to an office job would help, with regular hours and more money so she wouldn't have to work overtime. Joshua starting school soon would help too. But she just had to hold it all together a little while longer, finish getting all the pieces of her life in order.

She gave him a little grin, "Some company I am. Sorry."

"No complaints here. We wanted a quiet day remember?

"Well there's quiet and then there's comatose."

"It was a good day. I enjoyed it. Joshua enjoyed it. And I'm willing to bet that the part you were conscious for, you enjoyed."

She dropped her head back to his chest and chuckled, "Brat."

A few minutes later she crawled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom pausing on her way to check on Joshua. He was curled up under the covers and out like a light. She pulled the door almost closed and found the upstairs bathroom. She smiled when she saw that Jethro had dug out a new toothbrush for her and left out a t-shirt for her to sleep in on the bathroom counter.

Making her way back to his bedroom she paused in the doorway when she saw him already under the covers. Sliding in next to him she didn't hesitate to snuggle up against him. He reached over and clicked off the light, bathing the room in darkness. They could have made love but they didn't. He wanted her, and she him. But sometimes your soul doesn't need the fiery passion, sometimes it just needs to be cocooned in the arms of another and soothed with the sound of another heartbeat keeping time with yours.

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tbc...feedback always appreciated!!!

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Claudia was working the later shift the next day and didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn. The three of them had a leisurely breakfast before they left for home so she could get ready for work. As she got ready for work she realized that she couldn't remember the last time she had felt this rested. Work was work and she was tired but not exhausted when she picked Joshua up at the sitter's. They spent a typical night puttering around the apartment and she was in the middle of ironing some cheerful curtains for the living room when Tony called to confirm that they were still on for the carnival.

Claudia could just picture his face on the other end of the phone all lit up in excitement. He had been that way since he first showed her the flyer for the carnival. As she was settling into bed she tried to figure out his enthusiasm and it took her a while but she finally realized that Tony had probably never had the opportunity to do any of this kind of thing as a kid. She determined she was actually going to have two kids with her tomorrow, one just in a bigger package. The thought made her smile as she fell asleep.

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The next morning was bright and sunny and boded well for the carnival. Claudia got up early and packed Joshua's knapsack so it was ready to go. And she got Joshua up and dressed. They were in the kitchen with Joshua eating a bowl of cereal when Tony knocked. When Claudia opened the door for him she got to see in person the exact expression that she had envisioned on his face when he had called.

Tony leaned in and gave her a teasing little kiss, "Good morning."

She teased back, "It is now."

The made their way into the kitchen and Joshua's face lit up when he saw Tony who ruffled his hair. "Morning squirt. Whatcha eating?"

"Rice Krispies with naners." Joshua demonstrated by holding up a dripping spoon full of cereal and bananas.

"Good stuff."

She poured Tony a coffee and without a word deposited a cereal bowl and spoon in front of him gesturing towards the cereal box and milk on the table.

He winked at Joshua and teased Claudia, "Thanks, Mom."

"Brat."

She had promised Tony he could tell Joshua about the carnival so she had to keep from laughing when he said, "So, Joshua, I heard about this silly carnival thing that's going on today. Their going to have rides and ponies and games and stuff, I guess. But I bet that's not anything you'd want to go to right? Too silly?"

Joshua's eyes had grown very large as he thought about it, "That's not silly Tony. That's fun. I like ponies. I rode one before."

Tony played it up some more, "I dunno, Joshua, still sounds silly to me. Maybe we should go so you can show me how it's not silly."

"Mummy, Mummy, can we go, please?"

When she nodded Joshua and Tony had a race to see who could eat their cereal faster and soon enough they were grabbing the knapsack and heading for the car. But Tony had another surprise for them as he pulled them towards his car.

Claudia was just about to say that they needed Joshua's booster seat when she saw the brand spanking new booster seat securely fastened in the back seat of Tony's car. She stood there not knowing exactly what to say as Tony and Joshua put the top down. He got Joshua buckled into the booster seat and with a flourish whipped out a pair of child-sized aviator sunglasses.

"Here you go Joshua, you have look cool when you have the top down."

Claudia climbed in the passenger seat and asked, "You bought a booster seat?"

Tony shrugged, a little embarrassed, "Yeah. Well, you know. It's easier than swapping one back and forth." He gave her a cocky little grin and slipped on his own sunglasses.

He didn't tell her about his misadventure yesterday in trying to purchase said booster seat. He had noted the brand of the one in Claudia's car and had headed off to the department store hoping he could just scoop one off the shelf. No such luck. The endless aisle of car and booster seats had every brand except the once Claudia had. He was lost. He wandered up and down the aisle trying to compare and contrast and just managed to make himself even more frustrated. He had started talking to himself and was getting odd looks from a few women shopping nearby. Finally his rescue came in the form of a pleasantly plump grandmother that worked in the department. He wanted to kiss her when after listening to his dilemma and getting Joshua's size and weight, she walked him over to a spot on the shelf and pointed out the best model for him.

He also didn't tell Claudia about how, with booster seat box in hand, he was making his way out of the children's section when something on the end of an aisle caught his eye and he just had to investigate. It was a display of the little tiniest sneakers Tony had ever seen, they were obviously for babies and as he stood there fingering the little laces he marveled at how small they really were. And he wondered if Joshua had had a little pair of sneakers like them, and he smiled wondering what exactly Joshua had looked like as a baby. He would have to bug Claudia to show him some pictures. Tony didn't see the grandmotherly department store worker watching him with a knowing look as she took in his gentle expression.

Claudia just smiled and shook her head. She slipped on her sunglasses and they pulled out of the lot. Joshua was completely thrilled with the idea of riding in the convertible and he had fun imitating all of Tony's actions.

---------------

The park where the carnival was being held was spacious but the parking area was entirely too small to accommodate the expected crowd so folks were parking at the local high school and shuttle busses brought the families to the park. They had put the top up on Tony's car and had headed for the shuttle bus line. Joshua was excited to go on the bus; he had never been on a school bus before.

Tony had commandeered the knapsack leaving Claudia with the strange sensation of not having to lug anything around. She had her camera out and on a lanyard around her neck at the ready, knowing that Tony and Joshua would give her many opportunities to use it.

They were walking past the security tent on their way into the park when an elderly volunteer tapped Tony on the arm and asked, "Sir, would you like to register your son in case you get separated?"

It took Tony a second to get past the word "son" in his brain but once it all processed he replied, "He's not my…that's irrelevant. What's this registration thing?"

"We take your contact information, like your cell phone number, and give each child a bracelet with an id number on it. If you get separated and a security officer finds him they will know who to contact. It's a free service. We just want to keep all the little ones safe."

Tony and Claudia looked at each other and shrugged. They headed into the tent where they filled out a quick form and they each had to provide their id's, the volunteer also snapped a quick digital picture of Joshua. If they were separated only the people listed on the form could claim Joshua and in the event he was lost they could send the picture out to the security officers' cell phones. From a professional standpoint Tony was impressed. As a mother it made Claudia feel a little better. And Joshua was just tickled with his bright yellow hospital bracelet.

Thanking the volunteers they headed out of the tent and through the carnival gate. There were balloons and colorful decorations everywhere. Claudia was hard pressed to tell whose eyes got bigger at the sight, Tony's or Joshua's.

The first thing they came to was one of the local fire department's large ladder trucks. The firefighters were letting the kids climb all over it and answering any questions they had. Joshua was a little leery about investigating the truck on his own, but one of the firefighters said that his dad could go with him, meaning Tony.

Tony was just about to correct the young man when he caught sight of Claudia smirking behind her hand. He frowned at her playfully, "What is so funny?"

"You realize you are going to get that all day right?"

"What?"

"Being called Joshua's dad."

"Oh. Yeah. It's not that I mind, but I just don't want to confuse him."

Claudia looked over at Joshua who had joined several other children watching one of the firefighters roll up the big hose, "He'll be fine. Just go with the flow. The more attention we bring to it, the more important in his mind the issue will be. Like now, he's going to remember the fire truck, not what the fireman called you."

"That makes sense I guess."

So Tony took her advice and just went with flow. It wasn't until the three of them were playing around with a series of fun-house mirrors that Tony came to a shocking realization. The realization took him so much by surprise that he just stopped dead in his tracks and stared at their reflection in the mirror. He felt Claudia's hand sneak into his and she leaned in to whisper, "You just noticed it, huh?"

He had a lump in his throat so he just nodded instead and he saw her smile in the reflection, "They're calling you his Dad because he looks a lot like you, enough like you for him to be your son, Tony. I didn't know you hadn't noticed."

"So does that mean I look like your ex?" he asked quietly, not exactly sure if he wanted the answer.

"No. Not at all." She turned and looked at him directly, "Actually you look like my dad and my uncles, good bunch of guys." That answer made him feel much better. He didn't want to be some sort of substitute for her ex-husband.

A little tug on his hand brought Tony's attention down to Joshua who was pointing at another mirror, "C'mon Tony. Let's look at that one."

They went from area to area enjoying everything they tried. They bought food from the vendors here and there as the mood struck them and Joshua went on not one but two pony rides much to his delight. There was a little petting zoo set up with pygmy goats and a silly old donkey. Tony was looking at his slimy hand that a ravenous little goat had just eaten some pellets from when he felt Claudia tugging at the zipper on the knapsack, and to his eternal gratitude she pulled out a container of baby wipes and handed one to each he and Joshua. Tucking the container of wipes back in the knapsack she teased, "Never leave home without'em."

They hit the midway and Tony became Joshua's hero all over again at the water gun game. Time after time Tony was able to help him fill his balloon first and soon he had a large stuffed snake for his efforts. Tony whispered to Claudia as they walked away, "Think I can count that as range time? It's not quite the same as my Sig but…"

They rode the Ferris Wheel, and the carousel, and Joshua enjoyed a couple of the little kid rides. They were in line for the gigantic slide and had just picked out their burlap sacks to slide down on when Claudia saw him in the crowd. Standing near one of the ticket booths he was just grinning at her, a feral, mean grin.

She turned back to Tony and Joshua and closed her eyes, willing the hallucination to disappear. She was gripping the burlap so hard her hands were ghostly white.

Tony caught her reaction and asked gently, "Claud, you okay?"

She didn't answer but she did open her eyes and turn back towards the ticket booth where Rick had been standing, he of course was now gone. Scanning the crowd for another glimpse of him she said to Tony, "Yeah. I'm fine.

Tony knew she wasn't fine, and that something had spooked her and he knew that there would only be one thing that would rattle her that badly. When he saw her searching the crowd and he was sure, "Is he here?"

Her eyes snapped to his knowing full well who he meant by "he". She hesitated only a moment before answering, "I thought I saw him but then he was gone. I must have just mistaken someone else."

Doubting that, but letting it drop he placed a hand on her waist and pulled her close to him and she melted back into him, feeling safe knowing that Tony wouldn't let anything happen to either her or Joshua.

By the time they had gone up and down that big slide twice Claudia was back to her normal upbeat self. They continued making the rounds until they had seen and done everything there was to do, a lot of things twice. Tony's senses were on high alert since the slide incident though and he had felt the little hairs on the back of his neck stand up a couple of times as if someone were watching him. But without knowing what her ex-husband looked like, searching the crowd was a moot point. It was something he decided to rectify at work first thing on Monday.

---------------

The carnival had been a rousing success and the three of them had enjoyed the day immensely, with exclusion of the ex-husband sighting. The walk back to the shuttle bus line was at a much slower pace than it had been earlier, all of their batteries were wearing down.

Joshua was sleeping in the booster seat almost before they had left the high school parking lot. Claudia was enjoying the sun and breeze on her face and was relaxed with her head back on the headrest. Tony reached over and took her hand and gave it a squeeze. The ride home was quiet, but full of the gentle feeling of family and companionship. Tony decided it was a great feeling.

And later on, long after Joshua had been bathed and put to bed, Tony woke with a start realizing that the two adults had fallen asleep sprawled on Claudia's couch. Deciding this too was a great feeling, he curled his arm around her a little tighter and went back to sleep.

---------------

Claudia hated working Mondays. People were always irritable on Mondays, as if it were her fault personally that the weekend was over. And the lunchtime crowd was the worst.

She was busy putting on more coffee when Betsy bumped her hip against her to get her attention, "I think you should take table five."

Looking up from the stack of coffee filters she was fighting with, she saw Jethro's familiar face and smiled. She quickly finished with the coffee maker and headed over to see him.

"Isn't this a little out of your way?" she teased.

"Not in my book."

They chatted for a couple of minutes before her boss was bellowing out food orders from the grill and she had to get back to work. Betsy's shift was over and she plunked down in the booth across from him, cup of coffee in hand. She watched him watch Claudia, and saw that same tender expression that Hollis had recognized on his face.

"She's a nice girl, Jethro." Betsy said plainly. She wasn't one to hold anything back.

He smiled his best little grin at her, "I know."

"I know you know."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're a good man, Jethro. But you have had some bad taste in women in the past. She's not like them." Betsy had had the distinct displeasure to meet Jethro's last two ex-wives, and had not been impressed.

"I know." He looked over to Claudia who was chatting with a table of senior citizens having lunch, she was smiling and just radiated her light-heartedness. Six weeks he thought, he had only known her six weeks. He had never fallen for someone so hard in just six weeks. Well that was not entirely true if he were honest with himself, he had known on their second date that he had wanted to marry Shannon.

Betsy watched him and drank down the rest of her coffee and stood up to go, "You need to tell her, Jethro."

"Tell her what, Betsy?"

She patted his shoulder and leaned in to whisper, "That you are head over heels in love with her. It's written plain as day on your face. Just remember, the nice girls aren't around forever."

She walked off chuckling to herself at his horrified expression.

---------------
tbc... feedback always adored :)

---------------

Tony had gone into work very, very early Monday morning. He really wanted to research Claudia's ex-husband and find out all that he could about him. He decided to start with Claudia's service record, which caused a rush of pride to warm over him as he read about her accomplishments and commendations. He found the link to the police report and finally had a face to put with her ex-husband's name.

The photo could have been one of any Marine Tony had seen in his career at NCIS but he studied this one carefully, as if trying to get a handle on the man just from his photo. Rick Grogan was a slender, wiry man. His face was thin and sharply angular, topped by non-descript brown hair in the traditional high and tight that stamped him as a Marine. His eyes bothered Tony. Grayish blue they were cold, like ice and they made Tony wary. This was not a man to be trusted.

Rick was black ops. And it was because of that status that he only received a slap on the wrist and ordered to anger management counseling after the MP's had arrested him and Claudia took out the restraining order. The powers that be attributed his behavior to the stress of the job.

Currently Rick was listed as being assigned to Norfolk, not an uncommon thing for the black ops boys. And Tony knew that didn't necessarily mean that Rick was actually in Norfolk. But it was too close for his liking. Tony read everything and processed it all away in his head. He was angry. How a man could have everything, a beautiful wife who gave up a career she loved to be with him and a new son, and throw it all away. Now he understood why Gibbs got so angry when they saw men throw away their families in stupidity.

He thought about Gibbs and how much he had lost when his wife and daughter died. The protective feelings and more for Claudia and Joshua that were starting to grow in him couldn't be anything in comparison to what Gibbs had felt for his wife and daughter. Still felt for his wife and daughter. A new understanding of how Gibbs ticked came to Tony, something he had never understood because he had never been a parent.

Tony closed out all the computer windows, hiding the basic traces of his efforts. He stood up and stretched and went over to the window, watching the city getting to work, lost in his thoughts. Tony wondered to himself about what actually made a good father. His own was distant and they weren't close. He didn't want to be that kind of a father he knew that much. He had to admit to himself that secretly he had gotten a kick out of people calling him Joshua's dad on Saturday. And he realized in surprise that it hadn't even been two months since Claudia and Joshua had wormed their way into his life, and more importantly, his heart. And he knew that he would protect them, and keep them safe. Because if nothing else, he knew that was something fathers were supposed to do.

---------------

McGee had volunteered to run to the deli and pick up their lunch order and when he got back to the NCIS parking lot he pulled his car in next to Tony's. After grabbing the bag of sandwiches and locking his car he turned to walk back to the building when he did a double take at what he saw in the back seat of Tony's car.

Hurrying back into the building and heading straight for Abby's lab he almost couldn't control his mirth.

Taking one look at his expression Abby squinted at him and demanded, "Okay. What do you know that I don't know?"

"Tony has a booster seat in the backseat of his car." McGee blurted out unable to contain his laughter any longer.

Abby's eyes grew huge, "No way. Why would he have a booster seat? He doesn't even like kids. Or actually I guess I should say that kids don't like him."

"I don't know. Maybe he's got a new girlfriend we don't know about."

"Not nice, McGee. That would mean two members of the team keeping secrets."

"You mean Gibbs?"

"Yeah. For weeks now he's been weirding everyone out by being nice. He's got to be seeing someone too. He was as grumpy as a grizzly bear when he and Colonel Mann split then all of a sudden he did a complete about face. One of the night shift guys said he even played coffee cup football with them in the bullpen the other night. And you saw him buying flowers remember? Definitely not normal Gibbs behavior."

"Yeah. Well I guess they'll tell us when they're ready."

"McGee! That could take forever. I want to know now."

"What do you want to do? Follow them?" Regretting his words instantly upon seeing the evil little glint in Abby's eyes he protested, "Forget it, Abby. I like my job. Not to mention breathing. We'll just have to wait and see."

---------------

Claudia called him Wednesday afternoon while he was sitting at his desk. "Hi, Tony."

"Hey. You sound horrible. What's wrong?" he was concerned. She sounded tired and half-dead.

"Joshua picked up an intestinal bug and has throwing up in between bouts of diarrhea for two days. And now I've got it."

Tony made a face, being sick like that was never any fun. And then to top off having to care for a sick child too couldn't help. "Have you seen a doctor?"

"Yeah, I took Joshua yesterday. They want to just let it run its course. And he's starting to perk back up already. But I'm wilting. So I don't think we'd be good company tonight. Sorry."

Tony was supposed to be joining them for dinner and a dvd later, "Hey, nothing to be sorry about. Do you need anything?"

"Just my bed. I'll try and go to the store tomorrow and get groceries."

"You sure? "

"Yeah. Sorry about tonight. I was looking forward to it."

"Me too. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay."

Tony hung up the phone thinking about how tired she sounded. And he had caught something else too in her tone too. He couldn't quite figure out how to label it but it bothered him. He decided to check on her and Joshua and do some mother henning. And he decided not to analyze where exactly that was coming from. He was not the mother hen type.

He jotted a quick list of things to pick up at the store that he thought she might need and then realized he hadn't a clue what to get for a sick child. Stymied he headed down to Autopsy to pick Ducky's brain.

Glad to see that Jimmy wasn't with Ducky, Tony walked over to where Ducky was standing examining a body. "Hey Ducky."

"Oh, Anthony. To what do I owe the honor of your company?"

"Can I ask your advice on something without everyone else finding out?"

Ducky turned to face Tony, "Most assuredly, Anthony. How may I assist you?"

"I, ah, well, I've sort of been seeing someone."

Ducky took in Tony's reluctance to say that and was surprised. Tony was not normally reticent in expounding on his conquests. He didn't say anything and simply waited for Tony to continue.

"And, uh, she has a five-year old son."

Now that surprised Ducky and he looked up expectantly to Tony, encouraging him to go on with what he had to say.

"Anyway, Duck, they both came down with some sort of intestinal bug and aren't feeling so hot. She took him to the doctor yesterday and they just want to let it run its course. I want to stop on the way home and pick up some stuff at the store but I don't have a clue what to get for a sick five-year old and was hoping you could point me in the right direction."

Ducky took in Tony's demeanor and it didn't take a profiler to determine that this was very important to Tony. They talked for a time and with the list of things Ducky recommended tucked safely in his pocket Tony headed back up to the bullpen. He didn't hear Ducky comment to the corpse, "It's about time that boy got a family of his own."

---------------

Tony made Claudia cry for the first time when he bought her toilet paper.

He had taken his lists and went to the grocery store and then made a special trip halfway across town to a little, hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant and picked up dinner for the three of them.

Bags in hand he knocked on Claudia's door. He could hear the muffled sound of the television and after a long moment he heard shuffling on the other side of the door. A little voice asked, "Who is it?"

"Joshua, it's Tony. Can you open the door for me?" He was a little concerned that Claudia herself didn't answer the door.

He heard Joshua telling Claudia who was at the door and then heard the turning the lock and the deadbolt and finally the door was open. He walked in with his bags just as Claudia made her way out from the bedroom. She looked awful. He headed for the kitchen as she said, "Tony what are you doing here?"

"Checking on you guys." She was a little wobbly on her feet in the kitchen doorway and he pulled out a chair and pulled her over to it. Joshua seemed a little subdued but he didn't quite look as much like death warmed over as Claudia did. He left Tony to his mother and went back to his cartoon.

"What is all this?" she asked, gesturing towards the bags.

"I stopped and picked up some stuff I thought you might need."

On the top of the first bag was a package of ultra premium toilet paper and he tried to get her to smile as he handed her the toilet paper, "For you madam, the Rolls Royce of toilet paper." She clutched the package to her chest and just looked at him in confusion.

Tony pulled the rest of his purchases out of the bag and efficiently put the cold stuff in the fridge and started rattling off, "Juice boxes, so Joshua can grab one himself without spilling anything. Sugar-free popsicles which, although are fun I'll admit, are merely a sneaky way of keeping you both hydrated. Sherbet for when you're feeling at least a little bit better. This pedia-whatchacallit stuff for Joshua so his little electrolytes don't get all screwy. Oyster crackers, much more fun to eat than saltines, but they do the same job. And from the pharmacy we've got the pink stuff and the clear stuff both of which claim to help. I have several girly type magazines for you, and a couple new awesome coloring books for Joshua. And last but not least, three quarts of the best chicken noodle soup in the city from my favorite Italian restaurant."

She stood up still clutching the toilet paper like a teddy bear and took in all he had brought and her face just crumpled and she couldn't stop the tears.

It was not exactly the reaction he had expected and he just closed the gap between them and enveloped her, toilet paper and all, in his arms. "Hey now. What's this?"

She clasped a hand over her mouth to try and contain the sobs but they snuck out anyway. He just squeezed her tighter, really not knowing what to do, and he heard her trying to say something through the sobs.

"It's so hard sometimes. And it's always just me. And I try so hard. But it's just me. All the time, it's just me. And you bought me toilet paper." A fresh round of hiccupy sobs cancelled out anything else that she might have wanted to say. But he got it. He understood. She was exhausted and sick yet there was no one else to help. She had to try and take of Joshua regardless. No one should have that much weight on their shoulders. And yet she did it normally with a smile. But she deserved someone to take care of her too.

They stood there for a long time and he just held her tight and gently rubbed her back, letting her get out all the tears. He finally said gently, "C'mon. I think you need a hot shower and your bed. I'll take care of things tonight."

She let him lead her to the bathroom where he started the hot spray and helped her peel off her sweat dampened t-shirt and sweat pants. While she was under the water he went in her room in search of clean pajamas for her. He poked through her dresser and found clean underwear and a fresh t-shirt and sweatpants. Something bothered him as he looked through her dresser and he opened the rest of the drawers to be sure he was right. She had absolutely no lingerie. Not even a white cotton nightgown. Everything was t-shirts and sweats or flannel pants. He decided that it had been entirely too long since anyone had pampered Claudia, since anyone treated her like a woman, since anyone had just cared about her. That thought somehow made him all the angrier at her ex-husband.

He closed up the drawers and brought her the clean clothes in the bathroom. She got dressed and he tucked her into bed. He sat with her for a minute and stroked her damp hair, "Get some sleep. Joshua will be fine with me. You don't have to worry tonight okay?"

Her eyes were already drooping when she asked, "Why did you come tonight?"

Tony leaned down and gave her a light kiss on her forehead and stood up, he smoothed the hair away from her face a final time and said quietly, "You're supposed to take care of the ones you love when they're sick, it's some sort of rule I think. Get some sleep."

He turned off the light and pulled the door shut so she could really rest. He made his way out to the living room which was a disaster area. He did a quick recon of the situation and realized that the kitchen was in similar shape as was Joshua.

"Hey, squirt."

"Is Mummy sleeping?"

"Yeah. She doesn't feel so good. So it's just you an me. Are you hungry? I brought some of the best chicken noodle soup. It's my favorite."

"I like noodles." Joshua said and followed Tony into the kitchen.

Tony opened a container of soup and dipped a pinky in, deciding it was hot enough still he portioned some out into a couple of bowls and put them on a tray with a couple of juice boxes. He gave Joshua the box of oyster crackers, "Here, squirt, you're in charge of these." He picked up the tray and into the living room they went.

Joshua picked out a new cartoon and had soon settled himself down In front of his soup on the coffee table. Tony was sitting next to him, although on the couch, and the two ate and laughed at the cartoon. Tony finished eating and leaned back on the couch to get comfortable when he realized his holster was poking into his side. Crap. He had not wanted Joshua to see his gun. He hoped the long shirt he was wearing over it had hidden it from view.

He casually got up and went into the kitchen and unclipped the holster from his belt and pulled the clip from the Sig, and stretching to reach he hid it the little cupboard above the refrigerator. He felt confident that Joshua would have no way of getting to it there. And he made a mental note to buy a little gun safe for Claudia's front closet. But for tonight this would have to do.

Returning to the living room he noted that Joshua had eaten most of his soup, well at least the noodles and chicken anyway. The little boy definitely needed a change of pajamas. And a bath Tony decided. And wasn't that just entirely new territory. He had never bathed a child in his life. Now what?

Joshua was more than willing to have a bath and he led the way. They had a great time playing with his fleet in the tub and Tony got him dried off and dressed in a clean pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He had hunted for clean pajamas but there were none to be found and Tony realized that if Joshua had been ill the last couple of days that they were probably all in the hamper. He decided it didn't matter. Josh was clean and comfortably dressed, that was what really mattered.

They spent some time with his toys in the living room and sitting there surrounded by blocks, superheroes, and trucks Tony realized that this was another one of his "little moments" and he took a mental picture.

Joshua was engrossed in another dvd with a little bowl of sherbet and Tony took the opportunity to try and tidy up the kitchen. He got the dishwasher started and wiped down the counters. That done he slipped down the hall and stuck his head in to check on Claudia. She was sleeping and the light from the hallway let Tony see how relaxed she looked. He took another mental picture.

Tony noticed Joshua drooping and declared it bedtime. Joshua surprisingly went without protest. Apparently bedtime involved an entire ritual for Joshua that involved particular action figures, a particular stuffed dog, and a particular story that needed to be read. Finally Joshua was tucked in, story was read and Tony was about to stand up from where he was sitting on the bed when Joshua wrapped his arms around him and declared, "I love you, Tony."

Tony had to get out of that room. Get out before Joshua could see what that little declaration did to him, before he could see that Tony had tears welling in his eyes. He gave Joshua a big squeeze and spoke from his heart, "I love you too, squirt. Now go to sleep." He planted a kiss on the top of Joshua's head and turning off the light, he left the room.

Tony collapsed into the corner of the couch. The television was off and the room was quiet. He tried to process what had just happened between him and Joshua. Tony had had people, well, women mostly, tell him that they loved him. But this was different. He had never understood the concept of unconditional love before, but that was what this was. It had to be, there was no other definition that Tony could come up with to describe it. And as he sat there in the middle of Joshua's disaster area of toys with the sticky sherbet bowl on the table he felt like the king of the world, or at least the king of this little world.

---------------

tbc...feedback is sucked up by the author like Gibbs and his coffee

---------------

Claudia woke up many hours later and padded out to the kitchen for some juice after checking on Joshua. She saw Tony sitting in the corner of the couch with his feet up on the coffee table fast asleep wrapped in the ugly crocheted afghan she had made a few years ago. She blinked a couple of times when she realized that her living room was picked up and all of Joshua’s things were neatly in the toy bins except for the Hulk action figure. That was gripped tightly in Tony’s hand as he slept.

She slipped into the kitchen and realized her little cleaning elf had made an appearance in the kitchen too. Grabbing a juice box out the fridge she went back into the living room. Tony had heard the opening of the fridge and he grinned at her when as she entered the room.

“Hey. Sleep good?� he asked as he opened the afghan and gestured for her to cuddle up next to him.

“Yeah. I’m feeling much better now.�

“Amazing what a few hours of uninterrupted sleep will do for you.�

“You’ve been busy.�

He stroked her hair and teased, “You don’t know the half of it. I, meaning me, Anthony DiNozzo, bachelor extraordinaire not only fed and entertained young Joshua but managed to bathe him and get him all tucked in without incident.�

She leaned her head on his chest and mimicked his words from the night of their first date, “You deserve a medal.�

“Nah, I got something better out of the deal.� He didn’t elaborate and she didn’t press, but she suspected that something significant had occurred that he would tell her about in his own time.

They sat there for a long time not saying anything as Tony continued to stroke her hair. He finally asked in a quiet voice, “So you wanna talk about it?�

She knew he meant her junior meltdown earlier, “About earlier, I’m sorry…� she stammered not knowing exactly what to say.

“Hey, I wasn’t looking for an apology. I just can’t help fix things if I don’t know what’s wrong.� He said gently.

She sighed, “It’s just been me handling things by myself for so long. I’m not used to asking for help. I’m not used to having anyone I can ask for help.�

Tony knew about being alone, about being completely on your own. It was scary enough when you just had to worry about yourself, but he hated to think what it was like when you threw a child into the mix, “Well, maybe you should get used to it.�

She leaned up to look him in the eye and he put a gentle finger on her lips so he could keep going without her interrupting, “I’m not good at talking about my, you know, feelings and stuff. And I gotta tell you this thing with you and with Joshua is something I never knew I wanted. But I do. And I didn’t realize until tonight just how much.�

He moved his hand to stroke her cheek softly as he continued, “And I know right now that you’re not feeling so hot and I don’t want you to answer anything back right now. I just…I just want you to know that I love you and I love Joshua. And I really want you to know that, so you know I’m here for you.�

She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand as a single tear slipped out. He pulled her in close and kissed the top of her head. Paula would be so proud of him, because she was right, life was too short to not tell someone you love them if you do.

It was a good thing he didn’t want a reply because she wasn’t capable. The apple juice was churning in her stomach and turning to acid. She knew she loved Tony but there was Jethro, and she loved him too. She had to tell them, had to make a choice. But how?

---------------

The next day Claudia was puttering around the house, Tony had left to go to work a few hours earlier. She made herself a cup of weak tea and sat down at the table to open the stack of mail she had been ignoring for a few days. Joshua was in the living room re-scattering all the toys that Tony had so diligently picked up last night. Bills and junk mail were efficiently opened and sorted into piles. One of the last envelopes she opened was from her bank and when she saw what it was she went from zero to furious instantly.

“Damn him.� She said under her breath. She made herself a note to call her lawyer later.

She was at the kitchen sink refilling the tea kettle still stewing on her anger when the phone rang. Jethro.

He was cheerful and chipper on the phone and he tried to make light conversation but he could tell that something was bothering her.

“So are you going to tell me what’s bothering you or do I have to guess?�

“I’m just…it’s just been a long couple of days. Joshua and I have both been sick and I just found out that my ex-husband is playing games again and I’m just…sorry, I’m rambling and just not in a great mood.�

“You two okay? You should have called me.�

He was like Tony in being upset that she didn’t call him for help. “We’re fine, Joshua’s pretty much back to normal this morning and I’m working on it. And you’re right, I should have called. I’m just not used to having anyone worry about me and…�

He chuckled on the other end of the phone as she trailed off, “I know. So what’s going on with your ex? Is he hassling you?�

She could hear the flint in his voice as he asked, “No, he just…well he sent me my child support and alimony check but then he put a stop payment on it. I just got the notification from my bank.� She let out a heavy sigh of irritation with her ex.

“Has he done this before?� She could hear the anger he was holding back. And when she didn’t respond, he had his answer. “How many times?�

She said quietly, “This is the fourth time. My lawyer will take care of it. She always does.�

They hadn’t discussed money or finances; it had just never come up in conversation. But he had insisted on paying for everything on each of their outings, not even letting her buy so much as a bag of peanuts at the baseball game. He knew that she wasn’t making much as a waitress, and that even with what her ex had to be contributing that she had to be barely getting by.

“Are you going to be okay until she straightens this out?� he asked gently not wanting to step on her pride. He wasn’t expecting her chuckle and asked, “Claud?�

“Sorry, Jethro. I’ll be fine. I’m not quite penniless.�

“You sure?�

“Positive. Now, it’s not like you to goof off calling me while you’re working, what’s up?�

“Well I just found out about a retirement party for a buddy of mine from the Corps on Saturday and was hoping you’d be my date. But if you’re not up for it I’ll understand.�

She really just wanted to sleep for the next week or so and had already told her boss that she wasn’t going to be in until Monday but there was something in Jethro’s tone that told her this was important to him. It wasn’t just a casual thing.

“So tell me about this party we’re going to…� she said lightly. And he explained that it was being held at the VFW hall and that they had a great country band playing and it was a blue jeans and cowboy boots kind of dress code. The food was going to be pot-luck he admitted a little sheepishly and she tormented him, “So what did you volunteer me to make?�

She could picture him tugging on his ear with that little “she caught me� look on his face. “Matt’s wife Vicky is organizing everything. She said to just bring a dessert of some kind. She’s all set on everything else.�

His hesitation screamed volumes, she knew he wanted her to make the peach upside down cake that he had raved about the night he stayed over. But he would never ask. It wasn’t his way. “You want me to make that cake you liked so much don’t you?� she chuckled.

When he finally admitted it with a laugh, she realized something. He wanted to show her off. Not to his co-workers or casual acquaintances but to his other family, his Marine Corps family. And that floored her. She had never had anyone want to show her off before, not even Rick. This was new territory for her and she had to admit that it felt nice.

They said their goodbyes and Claudia made the calls to arrange for a sitter for Joshua and to her lawyer’s office then went and crashed on the couch. Joshua climbed up next to her, oddly a little quiet for him. She gave him a minute to try and sort out whatever it was that was bothering him. He would tell her when he was ready.

What he asked her though, she wasn’t quite prepared for, “Mummy, can somebody have two daddies?�

He knew children that he played with that had the daddy that they lived with and the daddy that they visited, she and Joshua had talked about that before.

“Yes, we talked about that before remember?�

“Yeah.� He replied quietly then blurted, “Can Tony be my daddy?�

She took a deep breath before replying, she knew that not having a father was a huge deal to little boys. But she didn’t want to get his hopes too high in the awful event that things didn’t work out, “You really like Tony don’t you?�

“Yeah. But…� he didn’t finish his thought and looked down.

“What is it, sweetie?�

“I like Jethro too, Mummy.�

She gave him big squeeze, and reminded him of something, “Do you remember what Grandma told you about love? That no matter how many people you love your heart always has room for more? It’s okay for you to love them both. You have plenty of room in your heart for both of them. And can I tell you a secret?�

At his expectant nod she whispered conspiratorially, “I love them both too.�

---------------

tbc....

---------------

The team caught a case and while McGee gassed the van up Tony took a minute to call Claudia and check on her. McGee caught part of the conversation and heard Tony say, “Hey squirt, you feeling better?�

He saw how Tony’s whole face lit up and he was intrigued. He had never seen Tony look like that before. He heard him laughing and then hang up the phone. He didn’t say anything to McGee, he just climbed into the driver’s seat of van and waited for McGee to finish.

They drove in silence for a while when Tony asked Tim seriously, “You want kids, Probie?’

“You didn’t really believe that joke that Palmer forwarded about the latex gloves causing impotence did you?� He asked, wondering if Tony were winding him up for something.

“No. Never mind, forget I asked.�

Tim looked at him for a moment, “You were being serious?�

Tony threw him an exasperated look, “Well I was.�

“Oh. Well, I guess then I would say that I don’t want kids right now, but in the future, sure. What about you?�

“I never really thought about it. There was always that little problem of finding a woman crazy enough to want to settle down with me. Ever date anyone with kids?�

�No, can’t say that I have. You?� He wondered if Tony would tell him the truth.

Tony pointed a finger at him, “What I am about to tell you goes no further than this van.� When McGee nodded his agreement he continued, “I’ve been seeing this woman for almost two months and she’s got a five year old son.�

“Two months?�

“Yeah.�

“Wow. Sounds serious.�

“Could be, I think I want it to be.� Tim could see him paying attention to the road but was wearing a little smile that let Tim know he wasn’t pulling his leg.

“So can I ask what it’s like? Dating someone with kids I mean.�

“Well it’s different. You gotta think about things I would never have thought about before, like never leaving home without wet wipes. But he’s the greatest little guy, McGee, and his mom, well she’s just…amazing.� Tim knew that Tony’s normal track record with kids of any age wasn’t great so he found it interesting that Tony seemed to hit it off so well with this particular five-year old and he noted the awe in his voice when he talked about the woman he was seeing.

None of this was normal Tony DiNozzo behavior but it was nice to see him having real feelings for someone again. They had all worried about Tony when the undercover operation with Jeanne had ended, he had just seemed so lost and so hurt. And then shortly thereafter Ziva had been called back to Israel leaving an even bigger void in Tony’s life. It was good for him to have someone again, and someone normal from the sounds of it.

Tim replied to Tony sincerely, “I’m happy for you, Tony. I mean that.�

Tony stole a glance at Tim to gauge his sincerity then refocused on the road, “Thanks, McGee. That means a lot.�

---------------

The team stopped after one o’clock Saturday afternoon for lunch on the way back from Greensboro after finishing up the case and Jethro took a moment away from everyone to call Claudia. He was supposed to pick her up at six for the retirement party but there was just no way that they were going to be back in time, especially since he still needed to stop at his house and shower and change.

As he joined his team in the diner he was smiling, Claudia had in her ever efficient way figured out a solution, she would just meet him at the party, saving him a trip back and forth across town.

McGee and Tony shared a worried look when they saw him approaching wearing a big grin, it was never good for them when the boss was smiling. But he didn’t say a word to either of them about it. They just ate a pleasant lunch making small talk and then got back on the road.

---------------

Claudia parked her car and stepping out she looked around, hoping to see Jethro’s. No such luck. She took a deep breath and grabbed the cake from the back seat and her purse and made her way to the entrance of the VFW. She made her way inside looking for Vicky.

Jethro paused in the doorway of the VFW, just admiring the view. He had managed to find Claudia immediately; she was with a couple of other women trying to organize all the food. The three women were chatting and laughing about something as they worked. She looked fantastic. The fact that she was wearing a pair of tight blue jeans and a deep red, clingy t-shirt didn’t surprise him, made his mind travel down a lecherous path maybe, but didn’t surprise him. What did surprise him, although it probably shouldn’t have, were the tan suede cowboy boots and matching belt adorned with silver that completed her outfit. She was the epitome of a country girl. All she was missing was a hat.

Claudia hadn’t seen Jethro yet, but Vicky did, and saw the look on his face as he stared at Claudia. And she chuckled to herself. He had it bad.

She didn’t hear him sneak up behind her until his breath in her ear teased, “Nice boots.�

She turned with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, “I did tell you that I learned to two-step before I learned to walk.�

“No hat?� he teased

She laughed, “It’s in the car.�

Vicky watched the two of them together and was taken back twenty years to when she had first met Jethro and his wife Shannon. She had not seen him this relaxed or playful since then. Vicky could write a book on his ex-wives, and it would not be a flattering tale. But somehow she sensed things were different with him and Claudia. And she was glad for him; he was a good man that deserved to be happy.

The party got well underway and food and music were both great. They made the rounds and she was introduced to everyone. They had found a quiet corner for a minute and Claudia remembered something, “Oh, I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier, I got my exam results in the mail today.�

“And?�

She gave her shoulders a playful little shake along with the music and teased, “Aced it.�

She squealed as he embraced her and spun her around, “I knew you could do it. Now come dance with me, I’ve never danced with an accountant before.�

Vicky saw them two-stepping among a bunch of other couples and she nudged her husband Matt, and when saw them he laughed, “Quick someone get a camera.� Jethro hadn’t danced in almost twenty years and his buddies fully intended to torment him about it.

One of Matt’s teenage sons had shyly asked Claudia to dance and Jethro and Matt stood off to the side watching. “So, that number five?� Matt quipped as he sipped his beer.

Jethro turned to give him a flat stare, “What?�

“Oh don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it. I’ve known you too long.�

“And you would wish a bastard like me on her? I thought you liked her.� Matt was surprised, it was almost as if Jethro felt she deserved better. And he knew there weren’t many men that compared to Jethro. And he had also seen the way he looked at her.

He asked quietly, “She’s different than your ex’s isn’t she?�

“Yeah. Very.�

“So what’s the problem?�

Matt was one of a handful of people that could get away with grilling Gibbs. They had just known each other too long and been through too much in the Corps together for them to pull punches with each other. “Three ex-wives doesn’t give you a clue that maybe I’m not good husband material?�

“That’s a load of bull and you know it. If things had been different you’d still be married to Shannon and your love handles would match mine. But since god had other plans, Claudia’s a nice woman, Jethro, Vicky really likes her and you know damn well how she felt about your other three ex’s. You’d be stupid not to take the chance.�

---------------

They had all eaten and danced themselves until the wee hours. And since his house was closer Jethro drove them home to his place. The short ride was quiet and he seemed deep in thought. The entered the dimly lit house and walked into the living room.

He surprised her by turning on the radio and pulling her in to dance with him. This time though it was very slow and very very close.

She felt him take a deep breath and heard his low voice near her ear whisper, “I am falling for you Claudia, so hard it almost scares me. And I want you remember that no matter how big a bastard I get, that I love you.�

He pulled back to look her in the eyes and before she could say anything he kissed her fiercely, pouring all the emotions that he was feeling into it, the longing, the fear, and the love.

Whenever he had touched her the past it had been gentle and playful, and when they had made love it had been slow and tender. The raw need coming off of him waves now was the antithesis of all that and as they stumbled up the stairs to his bed, there were no more words spoken.

Later as he lay sleeping with his head nestled on her chest holding on to her possessively she was still awake and a silent tear streamed down her cheek as she tried to figure out how to not hurt either of the two men that now owned her heart.

---------------
tbc...

---------------

Claudia finished getting the meatloaf into the oven and washed her hands. Her mind a tumble of thoughts and emotions, it had been since Jethro dropped her off at her car still parked at the VFW. She loved both men, and both of them loved her, at least until they found out about the other she decided ruefully. Her eyes fell on a framed cross stitch hanging on the kitchen wall that read, "Happiness is a red potholder" and she felt a huge lump grow in her throat.

Her mother had made the cross stitch to immortalize their private joke about how even the ugliest kitchen could be brightened up just by adding a red potholder. The joke had started soon after Claudia left Rick and had settled into an little apartment with a truly hideous kitchen. Her mom had come over to help her unpack and they realized that her red potholders and dish towels clashed horribly with the kitchen's 1970's sage green counters and its orange and green wallpaper. Her mom had just laughed trying to make light of the situation, "Don't worry about it Claud, the red potholders will just draw attention away from that ugly wallpaper." She had given Claudia a big hug knowing that the color of the potholders wasn't what causing the look of heartbreak on her daughter's face. That honor belonged to Rick and if she thought she could get away with it she would have killed the man. But instead she all she could do was help Claudia pick up the pieces of a her life and help her make a safe and happy home for her and Joshua. The potholder joke became a fixture as Claudia moved from apartment to apartment. And her mother had given her the cross stitch the last Christmas they had together before she died.

It was times like this that she missed her mother terribly. There was nothing the two of them couldn't talk about. And her mother would have had some wise advice on what to do. Claudia smiled to herself thinking that in reality her mother probably would be yelling at her instead. Their arguments were legendary, but it never changed how much they loved each other, they just had different ways of looking at things. There was only one person that her mother had argued with more, her own sister, Claudia's Aunt Claire.

Claudia's mother had gone the traditional route, had gotten married, had a family, and joined the PTA. Claire was more of a free spirit, she had embraced the openness and experimentation of the 60's as she hitchhiked across country. She had lived in a commune in the desert, and even lived for a while on an Indian reservation. She believed in all things spiritual and metaphysical. She epitomized the New Age spirit and was just wild and free. Claire had never married but had had several long term love affairs with fun, creative men that made her laugh and feel young and alive. Most of the family called her eccentric and tried to write off her behavior. She and Claudia had always gotten along well though, much to her mother's dismay. She wondered what Claire would think of the fine mess she had gotten herself into.

Claudia's hand was on the phone and dialing her aunt before she realized it.

---------------

Gibbs was wandering around his house restlessly, not a normal behavior for him. He efficiently stripped his bed to bring the sheets downstairs to wash and he found himself bringing the pillow Claudia had used last night to his nose with a smile. He could smell her shampoo and the faint lingering of her perfume. That niggled something in his brain but he couldn't put a finger on what exactly.

He grabbed the used towels out of the bathroom and headed down the hallway to go downstairs. He paused at the door to the spare bedroom, what was Kelly's room. He had left the room as a shrine to her until it hurt more to look at it than it did to pack her things away. Now it was just a spare room. Functional, but not really warm or inviting. He noticed something sticking out from under the bed and he squatted down and reached for it. It turned out to be one of Joshua's toys, a little plastic sailboat.

He smiled as he stood up with the toy in hand, Joshua loved boats. Having he and Claudia here in his house had made him feel like he had a family again. He had told Claudia that while she had taken her nap, that he and Joshua had worked in the basement for while and had some left over chicken for dinner then it was bath and bedtime. While all that was true, what he hadn't told Claudia was that after Joshua's bath they sat together for almost an hour with a long forgotten book of fairy tales that he used to read to Kelly. Sitting there with Joshua tucked under his arm as they went page by page had fulfilled something in him that he'd thought he had gotten over missing.

He looked around the room and in his mind's eye he could still see it as Kelly's room, full of bright pastel colors and little girl things everywhere. But now the room was bland and plain, more of the tan and beige that permeated the rest of the house. He put the little boat down on the nightstand for Joshua to find the next time he stayed over, Jethro had already decided that there would be a next time. Pausing in the doorway to look around one last time a decision clicked in his head. And leaving the laundry hamper in the upstairs hallway he grabbed his keys and headed for the home improvement store.

---------------

Tony was whistling to himself as he headed down the hallway to Claudia's apartment, a couple of shopping bags in hand. He had gone shopping yesterday for a gun safe for Claudia's front closet, and had picked up a couple of presents while he was at it. He was used to buying gifts for the women he dated, and sadly most of them expected him to buy them gifts. It was a new thing for him to just buy a present for the sake of making someone smile because he wanted to and Tony was looking forward to seeing their faces.

Truth be told, he had had fun picking them out. He was a big kid at heart and had a grand time at the toy store finding something for Joshua and he now had the locations of all the cool boats and superheros mapped out for future shopping trips. When he had gone to the lingerie store he realized it was also a toy store just of a different variety, one for big kids. The saleswoman had flirted with him mercilessly having seen him in the store on more than one occasion, this time though he didn't want her assistance and browsed by himself until he found something perfect for Claudia.

He knocked on the door and when it opened his nose was treated to the scent of meatloaf and chocolate. And between the aromas and warm smile Claudia was giving him as he walked in he had an overwhelming sense of coming home, something he had never had before and it took him a moment to realize what it was, and when he did he smiled.

He put the bags down near the closet and leaned in to give Claudia a kiss, "Hi."

"Hi yourself. What's that grin for?" she teased.

He shook his head lightly, "Nothing. It smells good in here."

She had a feeling that there was a little more to it than that but left it alone, "Meatloaf and brownies for dessert. Joshua picked dessert."

Tony quipped back as they went into the kitchen, "He's got good taste." Looking around he realized he didn't see Joshua. "Where is he anyway?"

Claudia chuckled, "He's in his room working on a surprise for you."

He raised an eyebrow, "Should I be afraid?"

"No, you'll see."

She poured them each some iced tea and proceeded to peel potatoes to get the rest of dinner started. Tony was sitting at her table and noticed a pile of forms, glancing at them he asked, "What's all this?"

She looked over her shoulder as she stood at the sink, "Oh, the paperwork for Joshua to start kindergarten next month. I can't believe he's old enough to go to school."

He fingered the forms, "Wow. That's big. Is he excited?" Claudia answered him but he found himself not listening as he realized that although the forms were mostly completed that there was big section left empty, the emergency contact information. And then really hit him that she didn't have anyone to rely on, and he wondered in dread what would happen to Joshua if something were to happen to Claudia. He found his hand reaching for the pen near the forms.

Claudia heard the scratch of the pen and turned and quietly stepped behind Tony to see that he had filled in all of his information in the emergency contact section. She placed a hand on his shoulder and asked gently, "You sure about that?"

"You have to ask?"

She didn't answer, she just took his face in her hands and kissed him. Her eyes told him that she got it, that it wasn't really about having another person listed on a form that could pick Joshua up at school if he had a tummyache, it was about her having someone that she could count on and someone she could trust with the most precious thing in her life.

She turned back to the sink to finish the potatoes just as Joshua came zipping down the hallway with a piece of paper in hand. "Tony!" he exclaimed as he threw himself at Tony.

"Hey, Squirt. I think you get bigger by the day." He grunted as he settled Joshua on his lap.

"I made this for you." Joshua said, thrusting the paper he was carrying at Tony.

Tony took it and realized that it was a page from one of the coloring books that he had bought when they were sick, it was the Hulk, colored as neatly as Joshua's five year old hand could manage.

Tony ran a finger over the riot of color on the page and had to clear his throat. He never understood the folks at the office with the random crayon scribbles proudly displayed at their desks, or the houses with the front of the refrigerator hidden behind the fingerpainted trees and animals. He just never got it, until now. Until he realized that he wanted to put this picture somewhere where he could see it everyday, to remind him that the little person that made it for him loved him.

"Wow. Look at this. You did this all by yourself?" he said giving Joshua a squeeze.

"Yup. But Mummy helped me take it out of the book."

"This is awesome, Joshua. I'm gonna put it on my fridge so I can see it everyday."

The three of them had a pleasant dinner filled with talk and laughter. And after dinner Tony gave Joshua his gift, a Lego set to make a pirate ship. Needless to say, Joshua was thrilled and the three of them sat around the coffee table and put it together. It was a great way to spend the evening.

Eventually Joshua pooped out on them and he was tucked in with his pirate ship proudly displayed on the dresser where he could see it.

Tony and Claudia were cuddling on the couch, just enjoying the peace and quiet when Tony teased, "I have a present for you too, you know." He reached around the side of the couch were he had hidden the box from the lingerie shop.

She looked at the box and shook her head, "Tony, you don't have to buy us things."

He gave her one of his playboy smiles and said, "I know I don't have to but I wanted to, so open it."

Still shaking her head, she opened the box. Pushing the tissue paper aside, what she pulled out took her breath away. The nightgown was ice blue satin, long and flowing but low cut and tight in all the right places. It looked like something out of an old, glamorous Hollywood movie.

"Tony, it's beautiful. Oh, you really shouldn't have." She didn't even want to think about how much it cost. She had recognized the upscale lingerie shop's logo on the box and knew that this was an extravagant gift.

He hooked a finger under her chin and gently turned her to meet his eyes, "Oh, yes, I should have. You deserve to be spoiled." He brushed his lips against hers softly then teased with a grin, "Gonna model that for me?"

---------------

tbc...feedback welcomed!

---------------

It was after midnight but neither of them were sleeping. Tony's hand was running in long strokes down her back enjoying the feel of her hair and skin and satin. He wanted to talk to her about something that had been bothering him since dinner but he didn't know how to bring it up.

Claudia was lost in her own thoughts as traced little patterns in his chest hair as she lay plastered to his side. Her earlier conversation with her aunt had been on her mind all day. Aunt Claire had been happy for Claudia when she found out about the two men, and Claudia had been surprised to learn that her aunt had been in a similar situation in her younger days when she lived in California. The three of them had been happy and stayed together for many years before slowly drifting apart as their artistic lives took them in different directions. The difference between her situation and Claudia's was the fact that her two lovers knew about each other, Claudia's don't. Aunt Claire had stressed over and over in their conversation that Claudia needed to be open and honest with both men and although Claudia knew she was right, it was easier to say than necessarily do.

She was trying to figure out how to start the conversation when Tony's low voice broke the quiet of the room, "Claud, where would Joshua go if something happened to you?"

The question blew her away, it was a question she expected from Jethro maybe but not Tony. And it was a question she had asked herself countless times in the past five years without a good answer. Before her mother died it would have been simple to answer, but not now. She replied softly, but honestly, "I don't know exactly. Social services would probably step in. My dad's health isn't good and he's not up to raising Joshua. He would probably end up with my Aunt Claire in Oregon. She loves him. It's not perfect but he would be safe and cared for."

Oregon felt like the end of the world to Tony, he didn't realize he was squeezing her until he felt her wiggling around to try and look at his face, "Tony? What is it?"

Tony's voice came out a harsh whisper, "I'd loose you both."

She could see the pain on his face as that realization hit him and she bit her lip to try and keep from crying. Finally she said, "There isn't any other family to take him Tony. If my mom were still here then it wouldn't be an issue, but she's not, and Aunt Claire is the only option. But Tony, I'm not going anywhere any time soon."

"I would." he said suddenly.

Not following him she asked, "You would what?"

His eyes locked on hers, "Take Joshua. I could raise him, be his father."

She could see that he was in earnest, this wasn't just something that he blurted out unintentionally, although that's how it came out. She gently stroked his cheek. "Tony, what brought all this on? Really?"

Tony took a deep breath and steeled himself a little, he never really told her about work, about his cases. He would share little light anecdotes and the happy endings. But he tried to shield her from the violence and ugliness he saw on a daily basis. "Case we just had. I had to bring a little girl to Social Services because her mom was murdered and she didn't have any other family. Joshua must be a good influence on me because after I found her hiding in her closet and started talking to her, she just latched on to me. She was so scared. And I'll never forget the look on her face when I had to leave her there with the social worker. I don't ever want to see that look on Joshua's face. Ever. Even if you and I get to the point where we're throwing things at each other's heads, I would never want that to happen to him. He will always know that somebody wants him."

She had suspected that something important had transpired between Joshua and Tony the night she was sick, and their actions earlier had confirmed it for her. He had participated in tucking Joshua into bed and she saw how comfortable he suddenly was when Joshua hugged him goodnight and told Tony he loved him. She also saw Tony give Joshua a kiss on the head during that hug as he replied "I love you too, Squirt." back to Joshua. Somewhere along the way Tony DiNozzo, bachelor extraordinaire, had became a parent when no one was watching.

She also suspected that although Tony never physically needed for anything growing up, that he did not have a warm and nurturing home life. And she wondered if he had felt like no one wanted him as he was shuffled off to boarding school. He kept so many things locked up inside, away from her, but mostly away from himself. And the longer she knew him, the more she learned about him. The fact that the case had been on his mind did not surprise her, Tony was a kind, gentle man.

She thought about Jethro for a moment. He was equally kind and gentle, and she knew that he would also offer to step in to raise Joshua and that he loved Joshua. But she realized something different about the two men when it came to Joshua, and it was probably because Jethro had a child of his own and Tony didn't. In Jethro's eyes, even if he raised him and Joshua called him "Daddy" that Joshua was still another man's son and there would always be a line of respect for that fact deep down in Jethro's heart. Tony on the other hand had just claimed Joshua as his own, no distinction whatsoever, he was Joshua's father in his heart.

Before she could say anything he added, in an unsure of himself tone, "When I saw those forms earlier I realized you really don't have anybody to count on. And it got me thinking about that little girl again. So...that's what brought this all on."

She leaned in and brushed his lips with hers, letting him know that she heard him while she tried to put together the right words to reply to it all. Finally she spoke, "Tony, you are one of the kindest, gentlest men I have ever met. And there isn't anyone I would want more to raise Joshua, because if he grows up to be even half the man you are he would be the best of men. It's just a huge thing though, and have you really thought about it?"

"Forwards, backwards, inside and out. I love him, Claud, and I want to make sure his future is everything it's supposed to be."

"You know for a guy that supposed to not be good at talking about his feelings you seem to have a knack for it."

He smiled and teased, "It's all your fault."

She smiled back but behind it she wondered if this was the time, the time to bring up the impossible situation she found herself in with he and Jethro. Before she could say anything Tony deftly flipped them and she found herself looking up at him, "So should I take care of the paperwork?" he asked with a smirk.

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

"Okay. But there is something else I need to talk to you about."

His reply came in the form of gentle, teasing kiss. The ones he specialized in, the ones that made her brain disengage. And they were both enjoying it so much that it took a minute for them to register that Tony's cell phone was ringing from the pocket of his jeans on the floor.

Groaning, Tony leaned over and fished around to find it.

"DiNozzo."

She heard a muffled male voice on the line and Tony's side of the conversation, they apparently had a case.

"Be there in fifteen, Boss." He hung up with a grimace.

She quirked an eyebrow, "Work?"

He just looked at her for a moment, then sighed, "Yeah. My boss has incredible timing. But before I go what is the other thing we need to talk about?"

She stroked his cheek, "It'll keep. You've gotta go catch the bad guys."

He kissed her again, holding her face gently in his large hands, "I love you."

"I love you, too." It was the first time she had said it, and she meant it, for so many reasons.

---------------

tbc...feedback always welcome!

---------------

The case was a nightmare. A dead sailor and local law enforcement tramping all over the rainy crime scene. It was a long night, and by the time they all got back to the office through the rush hour traffic, they were wet and everyone was cranky. Tony and McGee dropped off all the evidence to Abby and Tony headed upstairs to change into some dry clothes. Tony found himself in the men's room with Gibbs who was changing his own soggy clothes. Neither were in the mood to talk, and just nodded at each other in greeting. Tony peeled off his wet sweatshirt and t-shirt and quickly toweled off and threw on a dry t-shirt. Leaving the sodden shirts in the sink, he stepped into a stall to change his soaked jeans and underwear.

Gibbs had been standing next to Tony as toweled himself off. When Tony had pulled off his wet shirts a faint trace of woman's perfume caught Gibbs attention. It was familiar. As Tony slipped into the stall, Gibbs smirked to himself. He didn't know much about perfume personally, Tony was the one that could probably identify a brand with the faintest of whiffs, but this one he did recognize, it was what Claudia wore. He had even teased Claudia about it as they danced at the retirement party. She laughed and told him it was what she got when she sent Joshua off with the sales girl at the store with money to buy her a Christmas gift. He picked the perfume because it had been fastened to a teddy bear, which made it great perfume in his five-year old mind. In reality it was a cheap flowery perfume that she really didn't like, but Joshua checked the bottle on her dresser often to see if she were using it, and not wanting to disappoint him, she did. She had laughed as she told Jethro the story and he had shared a similar tale about Kelly and a bottle of horrible birthday cologne.

Standing there at the sink, Gibbs finally figured out what kept niggling at him about her perfume, he had caught the same scent on Tony a couple of times in the past few weeks. Tony must have a new girlfriend. And given what Claudia told him about the perfume, he wondered what type of woman she was, and exactly how old. He knew that that the op with Jeanne had really hurt Tony although the other man would never say anything. But he had to admit that whoever the woman was that he was seeing, she seemed to be good for Tony. He had been focused and grounded lately, and he seemed relaxed and maybe even happy.

Tony came out of the stall carrying his wet jeans which he added to the pile of his wet shirts. He leaned against the sink to slip on some dry socks, and noticing something he teased Gibbs, "Doing some painting, Boss?"

"What?" He asked, wondering how Tony knew. Then he caught Tony's line of sight and followed it to the stripe of blue paint on the back of his forearm. He chuckled, "Oh, missed some."

"Nice color, Boss. You remodeling?" Tony knew Gibbs' house was painted all in neutral tans, nothing like the cheerful blue that was gracing his arm.

Gibbs shrugged, "Just a coat of paint in the spare room."

Tony had known Gibbs long enough to know when he wasn't telling Tony everything, and this was one of those times. But he just left it alone. Gibbs had seemed very relaxed lately, and some of the rough edges had been smoothed over, and he seemed, for lack of a better word, happy. Tony wondered if he was seeing someone new. He had certainly been grouchy after the breakup with Mann, but now he was almost mellow and even playful at times. He wondered what type of woman could manage that in Gibbs.

---------------

Tony ran out and got them all coffee, and he made a special trip to deliver one to Agent Lee's desk in the legal department. She looked at the cup he placed on her desk and looked up at his grinning face. "Whatever it is, forget about it, Tony."

"Can't a guy just buy you a cup of coffee?"

She shot him an exasperated look and raised an eyebrow in reply.

"Right. See, here's the thing. I need your expertise. But I don't want to talk about it here. Can I buy you lunch and explain everything?"

His sudden departure from teasing surprised her a little and she could see that whatever it was that he needed her help on, it was important to him. "Sure."

She was rewarded with one of his ear to ear smiles and she shook her head as he walked away, she couldn't wait to find out what it was that he wanted her help with.

---------------

Claudia was getting ready to head out to drop Joshua at the sitter's and go to work, she had the lunch and dinner shift, when the phone rang. It was Vicky's sister Beth that she had met at the retirement party with a job offer for Claudia.

She was floating on air with the thought of it as she dropped Joshua off and got to the diner. Things were looking up. Now if she could just somehow resolve everything with Tony and Jethro she would have the perfect life. She didn't notice the scowl on the man in sunglasses sitting in the car across the street from the diner and no one saw his hands ball into tight fists as he saw her whistling happily through the rain as she entered the diner.

---------------

Jimmy checked his voicemail to find one from Michelle, telling him that she couldn't meet him for lunch, that she had to take care of something with Tony. He managed to get away from Ducky and up to the bullpen just in time to see her getting into the elevator with Tony. And the sight of Tony standing so close to her and smiling made his mind go in all sorts of directions that he really didn't want to think about. Michelle had been very vague as to what they were doing. And a streak of possessiveness flared up in him that he didn't know existed.

---------------

Gibbs decided he needed food and he needed to get out of the office for a bit and clear his head. The lack of sleep catching up to him. He let McGee know he was going to lunch and he headed for the diner.

As he was about to walk into the diner, all the hairs stood up on the back of his neck and he spun around quickly, looking for the cause. All he saw was a non-descript sedan pulling away, but he caught sight of the man's sunglasses in the driver's side mirror. The rain obscured most details, but it was certainly odd that the man was wearing dark glasses on rainy, overcast day.

He went inside and immediately saw Claudia walking in his direction, plates in one hand and a coffeepot in the other. She beamed when she saw him and paused in her travels to say hi.

He was distracted by the man outside but shook it off and gave her a kiss on the cheek before finding a booth of his own. A moment later there was mug of steaming coffee in front of him. And Claudia standing there looking like she had a secret to share.

"You look tired, Jethro."

"Caught a case last night."

"Ugh."

He nodded in agreement, he could see that she was holding something in, something she was dying to share with him, "Okay, spill it. Whatever it is that has you bouncing more than Joshua at the marina."

She leaned in close, so no one else could hear and told him about the job interview she was going on next week. He was excited for her. He knew how hard she had worked and how much she had sacrificed to get to this point. They talked for a minute, but it was busy and she had to run around. As he ate and indulged himself in watching her animated actions and the beautiful smile she kept flashing at him, he came to a decision that he had stewed over long and hard as he painted over the blandness in his spare room. He wanted warmth and color in his life, he wanted a family in his home, and he wanted it with Claudia. And Joshua.

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Tony explained what he needed to Michelle as she nibbled on a salad. To say she was surprised would have been an understatement, guardianship of a small child was just not something she would have thought Tony would take upon himself.

"So are you looking for guardianship just in the event of his mother's death, or do you want something that also encompasses temporary guardianship if she becomes incapacitated for some reason?"

Tony had just taken a big bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully before answering, "Wow. I didn't think about that. I, we, just don't want him to end up with Social Services if something happens to Claudia. So I guess we need both."

They talked some more and hashed everything out. And she promised to have the paperwork by the end of the day. It was pretty straight forward and would just need both of their notarized signatures before being filed with the court.

When they returned to the office Michelle was a step ahead of Tony out of the elevator and before she could go too far he said, "Michelle?"

She paused and turned to face him, waiting for him to continue.

He gave her a little smile, one of his genuine ones, "Thanks."

She wondered for a moment what sort of woman this Claudia was, because anyone that could turn Tony into an adult was someone she wanted to meet. She smiled back at him, "You're welcome, Tony."

Neither of them saw Jimmy standing across the room watching them, his jaw almost hitting the floor when Tony smiled at Michelle.

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tbc....