Chapter Text
Epilogue:
Settling in was both harder and easier than anticipated. Hannah had firmly established herself as the boss and while she wasn’t a fussy baby, she was certainly opinionated. She expected what she wanted when she wanted it and there was no settling until she got it. Thankfully she was a good sleeper. The first week someone from the team came by daily bringing meals, usually Ellie or Nick with Kasie and Tim taking other days.
Ellie just loved to play with Hannah, since their time with Logan while she wasn't baby crazy she was certainly well enamoured with the active baby. She and Nick would often give Gibbs and Jack a break by taking her for a walk through the neighborhood. That was when the two would take a breath sitting on the couch. “Can you believe it?” Jack gushed. “We’re three months in, how do you think we’re doing, Cowboy.” Gibbs let out a huff but there was a smile on his face. “I think that parts of this was easier when I was younger but a lot of this I’m better the second time around.”
Jack gave him a confused look. “You do?” “Yeah, I’m a whole lot more patient. Not that I was short with Kelly, but I now know the bigger picture. Back then when it was hard; I was all this too will pass but now, it's also this will go by so fast, don’t take it for granted.” “You’re ahead of me, all of this is new and I keep thinking about how lucky I am to have this, it's better than I dreamed of.” “More than anything I dreamed of too” He told her as he pulled her close, kissing her forehead.
Ellie and Nick brought back a sleeping Hannah who they gently moved into the bassinet before the agents took their leave. Gibbs sat on the couch with Jack leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder. For a rare quiet moment, the house was still; until the front door opened and Faith’s familiar voice called out.
“Gibbs? Jack?” Her boots clicked lightly on the hardwood as she stepped into the living room, carrying a bouquet of fresh lilies.
“In here,” Gibbs called back.
Faith’s smile was wide when she rounded the corner, but it softened when her eyes fell on the bassinet. She set the flowers on the table and moved closer, her expression caught somewhere between awe and disbelief.
“So this is her,” she breathed.
“Faith,” Jack said warmly, reaching for her hand. “Come meet your sister. Hannah Joy.”
Faith crouched down beside the bassinet, brushing back a strand of her own hair as she studied the tiny bundle. “She’s beautiful,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. Then she glanced at Gibbs, eyes shimmering. “Jack… she has your mouth. And that same Gibbs stubbornness in her jaw, I can see it already.”
Gibbs’ jaw tightened, the emotion in his chest almost too much. “She’s got her own fire, too. Already making sure we know who’s boss.”
Faith laughed softly, dabbing at her eyes. She bent forward and gently stroked the back of Hannah’s hand with one fingertip. “Hi, little sister. Don’t worry, you’ve got me, too. I’ll always have your back.”
Jack’s throat tightened as she leaned against Gibbs, whispering, “She’ll never lack for love, Cowboy.”
The small team party came a few days later, filling the house with food, laughter, and the kind of warmth Gibbs hadn’t realized he’d been craving. Faith sat curled up on the couch with Hannah resting against her shoulder while Ellie snapped pictures and Kasie insisted on arranging the balloons. Tim and Delilah brought over more baby gear than the house could hold, while Torres grilled outside with Gibbs, teasing him about diaper duty.
By the time everyone gathered around the cake that read Welcome Home, Hannah Joy, Gibbs looked at the faces: his team, his friends and family, he felt something settle in him. For the first time in a long while, life felt whole.
That night, after the last dish was washed and the house finally quiet, Gibbs and Jack slipped out to the porch. The string lights were still glowing faintly. Jack leaned against him, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
“Can you believe it?” she whispered. “Three months in, and somehow we’re doing this. A baby, Faith here with us, the team… I don’t know how I got so lucky.”
Gibbs brushed a kiss to her temple. “We both got lucky. Don’t question it, Jack. Just live it.”
She tilted her head up, her lips meeting his in a kiss that was slow, deep, and threaded with every ounce of love they had fought to let themselves feel. When they finally parted, Jack smiled softly. “Home. It’s better than I dreamed.”
“Yeah,” Gibbs said, his voice rough. “Me too.”
Inside, the nursery glowed faintly from a night-light. Ducky sat in the rocker with Hannah swaddled against his chest, her tiny breaths warming his shirt. His voice was soft, lilting, as he told her a story from long ago.
“…and though the path may twist and turn, you, my dear Hannah Joy, you will never walk it alone. For you have love stitched into the very fabric of your life.”
Her small fingers curled around the edge of his vest as if in agreement. Ducky smiled down at her, his eyes misty.
“Sleep well, little one. The world awaits you. And you, sweet girl, are already dearly loved.”
The old house was still, a different kind of stillness from what it was that rainy night when Jack talked her way in with a little subterfuge, this was stillness held love and laughter in its walls, and the steady rhythm of a new family taking root.
The End.