It was a few weeks before everything was packed up and Kate was well enough to travel. Victoria had been checked out from head to little toes and Gibbs had found it very easy to worry about her before she was even out of the hospital. He had to remind himself every night that he was there to protect them - that he wouldn’t have to go through a repeat of what happened to Kelly and Shannon.
He packed up as much as he could of their things, finishing the last of his furniture for work and half wishing he could carry on with this life. The other half just screamed that he needed to be at NCIS, it only took Kate a few minutes to work out what was in his head and tell him they could always go back to this when he retired. He would remember her saying that later on, when he was too old to fight bad guys and wanted to just sit back and watch Victoria and any other kids they had play. Explaining the baby’s name to the doctor had been Gibbs’ job and had shockingly been easier than expected. Though he’d left the explanation to Penny for Kate to do and knew she had done that when he’d dropped off the last of his work.
The trip back home was much shorter than the one there. For a start, they had less stuff to take with them as almost all of it had gone into boxes and thus into removals trucks. Then there was the fact that he didn’t have to drive half way across the country, just to the airport. He sandwiched Kate against the window and strapped Victoria’s car seat into the chair between them before letting out a deep, finally relaxed sigh.
It was over, and they were going home.
Gibbs’ house changed in the weeks between their return and Kate going back to work. He found he liked it, a space in the basement was taken over by Kate and she created a protected corner nearby for Victoria where both of them could keep an eye on her as they worked. Despite the fact Gibbs had gone straight back to work, he found himself liking the new changes, the toy scattered over the couch, baby things in the front room and his bed room. He’d lay with Kate each evening, watching her breast feed and smiling as she stroked the baby’s chubby cheek.
It was one such evening, sitting at her side in bed, Victoria nursing and Kate pressed back against him that Kate made her decision.
“I don’t want to go back,” she said. Gibbs’ brow creased slightly, she wouldn’t ever have to return to any of the places they’d lived. “To work,” she added. “I got too used to being the house wife, with the painting corner in the basement.”
He watched in silence as she ran her finger down Victoria’s cheek as the baby paused in her feeding. He could almost feel the reasoning off Kate, her daughter needed her to look after her and it was a mother’s normal instinct to be the carer, not to hand her off to someone else. He’d never before pictured Kate as a stay at home mother. Then again he’d never pictured her pregnant either, and she’d been far too beautiful like that for him to ever forget it.
“I need to be here with Tori,” she said and Gibbs’ brow shot up. That was the first time anyone had shortened her name and it brought mixed feelings for a moment. Distaste for it being cut, but a sense of ease that it had been shortened in such a clever way.
“Tori?”
“Abby’s suggestion, I thought I’d give it a try.”
“Not a bad idea,” he said. “I don’t want her to grow up with her name shortened though.” Kate nodded in agreement. They could work the nickname in as she grew, but for now, it would be Victoria and nothing else.
“You’re okay with me not going back?” she asked, resting the baby forward so she could rub at her back.
“I’ll be here whatever you want to do, Kate. I’ll have fun torturing Tony into thinking it was his fault.”
Kate laughed. “You have a new punishment for him too,” she said with a smile as she settled a very sleepy Victoria back in her arms. “You can threaten him with babysitting to shut him up.”
“I couldn’t punish Victoria like that,” Gibbs said. “She too beautiful to suffer that much pain.”
Silence fell for a moment before Gibbs moved. They couldn’t let the baby fall asleep without a diaper change or she’d be up in an hour or two for a change. He rounded the bed and carefully lifted her out of Kate’s arms before moving out in the hall and into Victoria bedroom.
“Are we the only ones to change?” Kate asked, following him. She’d always watched him, not because she didn’t trust him, which she’d explained the first time, more out of shock that he could be this careful and do something most men would run from. “We’ve moved on, and everyone else has stayed the same.”
“I haven’t changed?” he said, soothing Victoria as she started to fuss at being woken.
“Yes you have,” Kate said grinning at him. “You’re a father.” She turned from the room, leaving Gibbs with a quirked brow.
“I think mommy’s seeing things,” he said turning back to Victoria. He paused for a moment. Maybe she was right, he had changed, especially around her and the baby, at work he was the same old Jethro Gibbs, head slaps and all. He smiled. For their sake it was worth moving on, just a little.
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