Primetime Love

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Gibbs/Lia

GIBB'S POV

Gibbs and Lia had decided to hold off on the wedding until Jackson was born and Ducky was well enough to talk his newly discovered daughter down the aisle. He had bounced back fast after Lia had been able to donate her bone marrow to him.

But one year later, here they were. To make his old man happy, the wedding was held in his backyard. A still slightly weak Ducky had walked Lia down the aisle. Her mother hadn't been invited. After the ceremony, a small reception was held in the old barn that had been decorated for the occasion.

"How does it feel to finally be mine, Mrs. Gibbs?" He whispered in her ear as they danced on the temporary dance floor.

Lia giggled and rolled her eyes. "I've been yours since the first night I shared your bed."

He leaned forward and softly kissed his new bride. "I love you," he said in a voice so low that only she could hear it.

***

"It feels so weird not having Jackson with us," Lia said as the two of them lay curled up together in bed.

They were with an untraditional honeymoon because they never things like normal people. Gibbs had gotten in touch with Amelia's husband and borrowed the couple's 250-foot yacht. As a wedding present, Amelia had paid for a small crew of four to see to their comfort as they cruised the east coast and the Florida keys for two weeks, stopping and making port wherever and whenever they felt like it.

"Yeah," Gibbs chuckled quietly. "It's quiet." He loved his almost ten-month-old son more than his own life, but Jackson had been a fussy baby from the word go.

"Do you think it wise to leave him with Tony and Ziva? What if they can't handle him?" She worried.

"Tony's probably lying in the fetal position somewhere by now, that's true," he joked. "But Ziva's got this. Plus, your dad promised to look in on them."

Lia had developed a close bond with Ducky in the past year. If a stranger met them, they would have sworn that the Scottish man had actually raised her.

"It's just my first time leaving him," Lia sighed.

"I can take your mind off it?" Gibbs offered.

"How?"

Gibbs quickly flipped them so that she was on her back, and he was cradled between her legs. "Oh, I have my ways." He leaned down and took her lips in a passionate kiss.

***

JACKSON'S FIRST BIRTHDAY

LIA'S POV

They hadn't done anything big for Jackson's first birthday. It wasn't like babies that young would remember anyway. They had simply held a barbecue for their collective friends and family in their backyard.

It was an hour before the guests were supposed to arrive, and Lia and Abby, her go-to sidekick in party planning, were just getting back from picking up Jackson's cake and a few last-minute supplies. As they unloaded bags out of her car, they were approached by Lia's past.

"Ophelia."

She knew that nasally southern accent anywhere. Turning around, she found her mother standing at the end of her driveway.

"Should I go and get Gibbs?" Abby asked under her breath.

"Yes, please, and thank you," Lia responded before walking down the driveway to meet her mom. "What do you want?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's my grandson's first birthday," her mom shrugged. "I wanted to finally meet him."

"After what you said about Jethro and me in the press? Are you fucking crazy" Liz scoffed.

"Sweetie, I was upset...."

"Nope," Lia held up her hand. "You aren't going to stand here and try to justify what you did. Because I'm the one who is upset now. Oh!" She snapped her fingers condescendingly...if that was even possible. "I met Dad last year."

All of the color drained out of her mom's face.

Lia smirked. "He'll be here any minute to celebrate his grandson's birthday. As far as you're concerned? You don't have a daughter, so you sure as hell don't have a grandson. You will never know my son, that much I can promise you."

"You need to get the hell off our property." Gibbs came walking down the driveway. He wrapped a protective arm around her waist as they watched her mother slink off. Once she was gone, he turned his attention fully to Lia. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"Yep," she looked up and gave him a small smile. "I said what I needed to say. I'm not letting her ruin Jackson's birthday."

"Good." He gave her a quick kiss. "Speaking of the little man, he's been doing nothing but chanting 'momma' since you left. You should probably go and say hi."

Lia giggled as they slowly started walking towards the house, stopping only to grab the last few bags out of the car. "Remember when I said we didn't need a privacy gate? I lied. We need one."

Gibbs was still chuckling as they entered the house and closed the front door behind them.

FINIS