A/N Hey Everyone, sorry about the lengthy delay in chapters, but I've started a new job and life has been crazy! I assure you that when I have free time this story is still my top priority. Thanks for hanging in there with me. Hope you enjoy and are finding ways to stay cool over the summer.

As winter gave way to spring and summer, Gibbs was astounded at the way his son was growing and changing every day. Tim had mastered walking and running and there was hardly ever a moment when he wasn't on the go. Some days Gibbs would sit on the back patio and watch his little guy run from one side of the yard to the other as Jet playfully chased him. The past nine months had been filled with milestones, but also worry as Tim had been subjected to a battery of medical tests. Fortunately the youngster had handled them a lot better than his dad, grandfathers, aunts and uncles. Although Ducky assured him that Tim's body mirrored that of a healthy toddler, he knew that might not always be the case. The doctor had suggested that Tim have tests done every year to make sure the regression drug hadn't caused any ill effects. Gibbs hated the fact that his son would constantly have to be monitored or the possibility that a medical emergency could arise at any time. After months of sulking, Ducky reminded him that Tim should continue to be treated as a normal child. Finally realizing there was nothing he could do except be vigilant about Tim's health he relaxed, continuing to enjoy life as a daddy.

It was Labor Day weekend, the week before Tim's 2nd birthday and Gibbs was in the final stages of party planning. After he'd decided on a theme, the invitations were sent and the food and cake ordered. Tim was currently obsessed with Thomas the Train, which made buying decorations easier. He'd decided to keep the guest list limited to family only and was shocked when Maggie called to say she couldn't wait to see her little boy again. The two had kept in contact through email with Gibbs occasionally giving her updates and sending pictures when Timmy had reached a new milestone. He wasn't thrilled with the fact that she'd agreed to come to the party, but being involved with Tim's life was part of their agreement when she allowed him to be adopted. It was only for a few days and there'd be so much going on that time would pass quickly.

A knock on the door startled him out of his musing and he chuckled as Tim clapped his tiny hands together excitedly. Gibbs took another swig of coffee and stood, "Sounds like Uncle Tony and Aunt Ziva are here."

Tim nodded enthusiastically, shoving another piece of banana in his mouth. Gibbs leaned down and kissed the top of his head, "We're going to have so much fun today."

As Gibbs started walking to the door there was another knock and he shook his head in annoyance as he reached for the handle. "DiNozzo, how many times do I have to tell you that it might take me a moment to answer the door?"

"Sorry, Boss, I'm still getting used to having to knock at all."

Ziva shared Gibbs' annoyance and gave him an apologetic look, "It has almost been a year, Tony."

"Yeah, well, old habits die hard. Don't worry, by the time Tim's 30 I'll have it figured out."

That remark earned him groans from both his boss and girlfriend. As they walked into the kitchen Tim was bouncing with excitement. He hadn't seen his aunt and uncle in nearly a week.

"Toey!"

"Zeba!"

"Hey, kiddo, it's good to see you!"

Tony leaned down and gave Tim a kiss on the head, running his fingers through the toddler's curls.

"It is almost time for Tim to get another haircut, Gibbs.

"Yeah, because that was so much fun the first time, DiNozzo."

Ziva laughed, remembering how it took two grown men to hold him down during his first haircut. "Perhaps it will be better this time." She reached over and brushed Tim's bangs off his face, "Besides you do not want Maggie to have anything to hold against you."

Gibbs growled softly as he unsnapped the tray of the highchair and lifted Timmy out. "I'll make an appointment for after work this week." Handing the little guy over to his aunt he smiled, "Thanks for watching him while we assemble the swing set."

"Not a problem at all. You know I enjoy spending time with my favorite nephew."

Smothering the little guy with kisses she started to carry him into the family room to play. Tim's bottom lip quivered when he realized that neither his dad nor uncle were following them. Gibbs noticed his son's disappointment and cooed, "Don't worry, baby, I'll be outside constructing your birthday present. Go play with Aunt Ziva for a while and I'll see you at lunch."

That appeared to pacify Tim and he gave Gibbs a small smile before he disappeared out of sight.

DiNozzo grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and took a sip. "What's the plan, Boss?"

"The plan is to get the swing set assembled by the end of the day. I already brought my tools up from the basement and they're sitting on the back porch."

The two men headed outside to unload the boxes from Gibbs' truck. The older man contemplated building a swing set, but Timmy kept him too busy. That was fine though as spending time with his son was far more important than his pride. Removing the boxes from the truck they carried them to the backyard where Gibbs had already decided where the swing set would be placed. Tony snickered when he saw several power tools scattered about the deck.

"I never thought I'd see the day, Boss."

Gibbs grunted as he dropped one of the boxes, "Times are changing. I want to get this put together today and the only way that's going to happen is by using these tools. My neighbor let me borrow them."

"You certainly won't hear any complaining from me. Let's get started."

The older man rolled his eyes and retorted, "You mean I won't be hearing any complaints yet."

Tony feigned being offended and began opening each box. The two of them worked throughout the morning and by lunch had more than half of the swing set assembled. They decided to take a break when Ziva and Timmy appeared on the patio with lunch. Timmy ran to his daddy when he saw him ascending the stairs.

"Dada!" He squealed as he was scooped up and twirled around. Gibbs hugged his son tightly as he spun around until he started getting dizzy and stopped abruptly. As he worked to regain his equilibrium he huffed, "I don't want either of us to get sick, kiddo."

"Do you want me to bring Tim's highchair outside, Boss?"

The older man thought about it for a moment before shaking his head, "Nah, Timmy can sit on my lap while we eat." As he carried the little guy over to the table he continued, "I've missed spending time with you this morning, buddy."

Tim strengthened the grip he had around his daddy's neck and leaned down to give him a slobbery kiss on the cheek. Gibbs chuckled as drool oozed down the side of his face. Once he was seated he used his shirt sleeve to wipe it off and leaned down to kiss the top of Tim's head. "Thanks, sweetie"

Lunch consisted of sandwiches, chips and fruit. As they ate, Ziva asked, "How many guests are you expecting for the party?"

Gibbs took a swig of iced tea and shrugged his shoulders, "I can't remember the exact number off the top of my head, Zeever." He sat in thought for a moment and continued, "The two grandpa's - Jack and Duck. The Palmers and they're bringing little Stella with them so Tim will have someone to play with."

Ziva motioned at Tony, "The two of us along with Abby. What about Iris and Ezra? Are they going to be able to make it?"

"No, the B&B is booked for a wedding that weekend. They were disappointed, but I reassured them that we would come visit soon. To be honest I'm kind of relieved that they won't be able to make it. They don't know about Tim's regression and with Maggie planning on being here I don't want to have to explain."

Tony groaned when he heard Maggie's name mentioned, "Please tell me that Sarah or Penny will be here to keep her under control."

"Sarah will be here, but Penny is going to be out of town. When Penny called to tell me she wouldn't be able to make it she assured me that Maggie was doing well with her treatment and that it meant a lot to her that I'd invited her to the party. I'm assuming she'll be on her best behavior."

"Well, I'll be cordial but don't expect me to carry on any conversations with her. I'm going to be staying as far away from her as possible."

"I can't ask for any more than that from you, DiNozzo. It's going to be difficult for me too. However, we all need to remember that there were conditions that I agreed to when she allowed me to adopt Tim."

Ziva watched as Tim stuffed another bite of sandwich into his mouth and did a little happy dance in his dad's lap. She smiled at his pure innocence. If Maggie hurt one curl on Tim's tiny little head there would be hell to pay.

"How do you think Timothy will react when he sees her again?"

Gibbs sighed, "I'm not sure, Ziva. Ducky told me to be prepared for the worst, but I feel as though there will be so much going on that Tim won't be worried about it. I'll just have to play it by ear and reassure him that I'm his daddy and nobody will take him away from me."

As they finished lunch Tim began yawning and leaned back against Gibbs' chest. The older man knew that once his son had a full belly sleep would follow. A brisk breeze had the little guy snuggling closer to his daddy and Gibbs wrapped his arms around him to provide some warmth. Ziva started to stand to offer to bring him inside, but Gibbs waved her off.

"It's okay, Ziva." He motioned to her plate, "Go ahead and finish your lunch. I'm going to take him upstairs, change his diaper and put him down for a nap."

Knowing better than to argue with him Ziva returned to her seat and finished eating. Tony, who had been watching the father / son duo, lovingly looked over at her and raised his eyebrows. She knew that was his 'I would love a baby' look and mouthed back 'we will talk later.' The couple were not afraid to admit that neither of them could have ever imagined being parents. Nevertheless, those feelings changed when baby Tim suddenly arrived in their lives. They'd been taking their relationship slow and had only recently moved in together. Everything was going well and they didn't want to rush to get married or have a child. However, Ziva knew her biological clock was ticking and they'd have to make some decisions sooner rather than later.

Once Tim was asleep Gibbs scooted his chair out from the table and stood up. The youngster whined briefly as the older man shifted him to his shoulder, but quieted as Gibbs soothingly rubbed his back.

Tony stood as well, hurrying to open the door for the pair. "We'll clean up down here, Boss."

Gibbs gave him an appreciative nod and continued into the house and upstairs. After gently laying Tim down on the changing table he removed his shoes followed by his pants. He'd become an expert at changing diapers swiftly and with as little disturbance to Tim as possible. Once his son was clean he put his pants back on and gathered him in his arms for the trek over to the crib. Tim slept through the entire process and once Gibbs had covered him with a blanket he turned the baby monitor on and slipped out the door. There wasn't much left from lunch to clean and Tony and Ziva were done by the time Gibbs arrived back downstairs.

Holding up the baby monitor he said, "Ziva, do you want to help us with the swing set or just hang out? Tim will be asleep for a couple of hours and we'll be able to hear him when he awakens."

"I would love to help with the swing set, Gibbs. Perhaps with all three of us working, it will be finished by the time Tim is awake from his nap."

Tony leaned over and gave Ziva a kiss, "I'm going to love watching you work, sweet cheeks."

Ziva blushed furiously as Gibbs rolled his eyes and headed back outside. It was still awkward for her to show affection toward Tony in front of the older man even though he'd given his blessing.

"You two lovebirds coming?"

She elbowed him gently in the stomach and huffed, "What did I tell you about that?" Tony sucked in a breath dramatically, leaning closer to kiss the younger woman again.

"I told you that I am still not comfortable with kissing around Gibbs."

DiNozzo flashed a wicked smile as he looked around, "I don't see Boss anywhere."

"It does not matter. We have a lot of work to do before the swing set is finished."

The younger man shoulders slumped in defeat as he watched Ziva head outside to work. Sighing, he followed and tried to ignore the unhappy look on his lover's face. The kiss was supposed to be a sign of love, but all it had really done was piss her off. Gibbs noticed the tension between the two and sighed inwardly. He hoped they could continue working as a team and decided the couple would eventually work out their own problems.

During the next few hours they worked together, making progress on the swing set. Three people made the work go faster and by the time Tim was awake the only work left to do was to secure the slide. While the guys added the finishing touches, Ziva hurried to tend to Tim. She decided to change his diaper and get him a snack while they finished. Once she and Tim made it to the kitchen, Gibbs and Tony were waiting for the two of them with huge smiles on their faces.

Tim kicked his legs excitedly when he saw the two men and reached out for his daddy. Gibbs chuckled, gathered the youngster in his arms and said, "Did you have a nice nap, kiddo?"

"Yesh Dada."

"Good." Gibbs responded, brushing the hair off his son's forehead before kissing it. "We have a big surprise for you out in the backyard. Do you want to go see it?"

The little guy rubbed his eyes and nodded. Gibbs knew that his boy was still sleepy, but hoped the swing set would awaken him quickly.

"I want to capture Tim's reaction on my camera. Would you mind holding off, while I run and grab it?"

While Ziva retreated to the family room to grab her camera, Tony filled a sippy cup with milk and gave it to the toddler. Although it was a struggle to wean Tim off of bottles he was now doing quite well with the changes. Gibbs hated the process because it meant that his son was growing, but Ducky told him that it had to be done. Once Ziva returned from the family room she smiled and said, "I am ready. I will step out onto the deck before you so I can catch his reaction when he sees his present. These will be great pictures for his scrapbook."

Gibbs nodded, giving Ziva a moment to get in position before he brought Tim outside. Once she gave him a signal he continued out to the patio and turned so that Tim could see the swing set. The youngster's eyes widened and he squealed with delight when he saw the slide and swings. Immediately wanting down from his daddy's arms he struggled as the older man held him tight. "Happy Birthday, son!"

Tim flashed a grin big enough to split his face in two as he wrapped his arms around Gibbs' neck. "Tank u Dada! Go pway?"

"Absolutely kiddo! Let's go play!"

Once Gibbs had climbed down the steps separating the patio from the yard he let Tim loose and couldn't help but smile as the toddler took off after the swing set with Jet hot on his heels. Ziva took plenty of pictures as Tim dashed away, particularly enjoying the few shots she got of Jet and Gibbs following like minions. Tim reached the swing set first, eyes darting back and forth between the slide and swing. He really enjoyed swinging when they went to the park and decided that would be his first activity. Gibbs had bought two toddler swings in addition to the swings that came with the set. Once Tim was old enough he would swap them out and the swing set would grow with his little one. Mesmerized by the fact that he now had swings in his own backyard Tim didn't hear his daddy coming from behind him and shrieked when he was lifted high into the air.

"There you go, kiddo! How about we take this for a spin."

Still wearing the enormous grin from earlier, Tim giggled as Gibbs grabbed the swing and pulled it forward. "Here we go. Are you ready, sweetie?"

"Yesh Dada!"

"All right I'm going to let go now."

When Gibbs let go of the swing, Tim screamed with happiness as it swung back and forth. The older man continued to push, however, he was cautious not to push too hard or fast for his son. He'd made that mistake at the park during Tim's first visit and didn't want old memories creeping back in his mind. Ziva snapped more pictures of the toddler enjoying his new toy and decided to make a collage of all the photos she'd taken today and give that to Tim for his birthday. It was no surprise that he was spoiled when it came to the amount of books and toys he had with several grandparents, aunts and uncles. Although Gibbs asked party goers to donate to the children's hospital in lieu of gifts this year, she knew everyone would donate as well as bring something special for the birthday boy.

Jet enjoyed playing fetch with Tony as the group hung out in the backyard until the sun started to set and the breeze picked up. They decided to order takeout for dinner and once Tim's tummy started growling he was satisfied with leaving his precious swing set - for now. While waiting for dinner to arrive Tim received a diaper change as Tony and Ziva set the table. By the time Gibbs had Timmy buckled in his highchair the doorbell rang and it was the delivery man with the food. Gibbs chuckled at the amount they'd ordered and gave the younger man a decent tip.

"It smells delicious, everyone. Looks like they'll be enough for leftovers too."

"Did you forget that Tony is here, Gibbs?"

The older man laughed as he set the bags on the counter, "No, actually I didn't Zeever. There's enough food here to feed an army."

Tony patted his stomach, "That's good because all of the manual labor we put in today has made me starving!" He began taking the containers out of the bag and continued, "However, it was all worth it, to see the look on Timmy's face. I have the cutest nephew ever."

Once everyone had a plate of food they gathered around the table to eat. Tim noisily slurped his noodles, but once he was given a look from his daddy he closed his mouth and chewed quietly. There was a few moments of silence as everyone took a couple bites until Gibbs sat back in his chair and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Do either of you know why I chose to order Chinese tonight?"

Tony and Ziva glanced curiously at one another and shrugged their shoulders.

"Because you had a coupon, Boss?"

Gibbs chuckled, "No, not because I had a coupon, DiNozzo. Although it did save me a few bucks." He took a sip of water and continued, "I ordered Chinese tonight because that was the first meal we had after learning of Timmy's regression. Can you believe it's almost been a year?"

Ziva bowed her head sadly, "I cannot believe it has already been a year. I miss Tim - our friend, colleague, brother. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about him." She sighed heavily, adding, "However, I am grateful that he is here with us rather than the alternative."

The older man shuddered, remembering Lucy and Ella Grey, both of whom were spending the rest of their lives in prison.

DiNozzo wrapped his arm around Ziva's shoulder, pulling her close to him. "All of us miss adult Tim, sweetheart. That's never going to change. We also know it's unlikely that Tim will magically become an adult overnight. The poor little guy doesn't remember what his life was like before all this happened. He just knows that we're Uncle Tony and Aunt Ziva and that Gibbs is his daddy."

"I know all of that Tony. It does not make me miss my friend any less."

Gibbs cleared his throat when he noticed that Timmy was becoming confused and upset by their conversation. Ziva straightened up and went back to eating, urging Tony to do the same. Determined to break the tension in the room, Gibbs laughed as he said, "Zeever, do you remember the time when you were babysitting and Timmy found the flour while you were sleeping?"

That put a smile on Ziva's face as she recalled finding Timmy covered in flour. "How could I ever forget that? I think it was my first time babysitting alone; after Ducky was shot." She reached over and patted the toddler's face, adding, "You made a big mess, kiddo."

Tim giggled uncontrollably as she told Tony and Gibbs every detail of their ordeal. They all laughed as she described finding the little guy covered from head to toe in flour and how upset she thought Gibbs would be. Their laughter continued as she remembered Tim asking her to kiss his bottom because he had a rash, insisting a kiss would make it feel better. When Ziva finished and they'd all caught their breaths they regaled each other with classic Tim stories both old and new. By the time they'd finished, Tim was barely able to keep his eyes open and was ready for bed. After sleepily thanking and kissing his aunt and uncle good night, Tim lay his head down on Gibbs' shoulder as the older man carried him off to bed. As Tony opened the door to escort Ziva to the car he grabbed her hand firmly and whispered, "Tim is still here, my love. The two of us have enough memories of our good friend to last a lifetime. As long as he's in our hearts we'll never forget him."