„Daddy? Lish said the baby is in your tummy...how did it get there?"
Dan asked one day as they sat at the table eating lunch. Tony changed a look with Jethro.
„Well, em...if two people really love eachother, like your Pa and I do...and they want to have baby...they make love to eachother...and before you ask, I will explain that some other time. Ok, honey?"
Dan nodded obviously disappointed and Lish grinned. She already had „the talk" so she knew how it worked.
„Don't."
Jethro warned her and her grin vanished. He shook his head and then glanced at the clock.
„Gotta get ready, Tony."
The younger man checked his watch and nodded.
„Ready for what?"
Dan asked after he had swallowed the last of his lunch.
„Daddy's having a doctor appointement."
„Are you sick, Daddy?"
„No, honey, the doctor's making sure that everything alright with the baby."
He tilted his head.
„Is it a boy or a girl?"
„We don't know yet. Have to wait until it's out."
„I want a boy. I already have a sister."
Tony chuckled softly.
„But you'd like another sister aswell, wouldn't you?"
„It'd be ok."
Tony sighed and ruffled the boy's hair.
„Go upstairs and take what toys you want this afternoon. But not too much. You're going to stay with Ducky."
„Cool!"
Dan exclaimed and ran up the stairs.
„Don't run!"
Jethro called after him but he was already gone.
„I'm eight already. Why can't I watch him?"
Lish asked with her trademark innocent look.
„Cause you're already trouble when we're around."
Jethro answered deadpan. Pouting slightly she went up to get what she needed for the time out of the house. Originally she wanted to stay with Ivi (Tony had looked mockingly shocked at that) but the other girl was going to see her grandparents. Speaking of grandparents...
The doorbell rang and Jethro went to open as Tony put their plates into the dishwasher. As he opened the door he looked into the face of an older copy of Tony with grey hair. The man had the same green eyes and whereas they resembled eachother in looks they had nothing in common in appearance. Tony's eyes seemed warm, like a forrest, but those were cold, just as the man. Jethro knew exactly who he had in front of him but apparently the other man didn't.
„Are you Anthony's butler?"
Probably for the first time in his life Jethro was speechless.
„Well, apparently you're mute. I'm Gregory DiNozzo. I want to see my son."
„Jethro, who...Dad?"
Tony had just come out of the kitchen but had stopped frozen when he saw his father. Jethro watched his husband fight the internal battle against the urge to flee. He didn't knew what his father had done to him, at least not much. From what little Tony had told him he knew that his mother had been slightly on the other side of sanity but about his father he never talked much. The few moments in which things like „My father gave me a power sander for my last birthday" escaped him it was usually followed by a shaddow of remembered pain, which was gone as quickly as it had appeared. But now this shaddow stayed on the face that had seemed to glow only a few minutes before. His usually warm eyes turned cold and the resemblance to his father increased.
„Shocked to see me, Anthony?"
Suddenly Jethro knew why Tony had asked Ducky to not call him Anthony, and usually the ex ME respected that wish.
„Many words come to mind...what do you want?"
„Marco."
Jethro frowned but Tony seemed to understand immidiatly. He shook his head and looked everywhere but at his father.
„You came for money. Shocking. It's legally mine. Uncle Marco inherited me everything."
„He's been a nut job."
Tony laughed hollow.
„You know, maybe that's why your brother hasn't left you a thing. The way you talked to him, the way you talk to everybody. Even to Mum."
He rubbed his eyes, he suddenly looked overly tired.
„Just go. Talk to my lawyer, what ever."
„That, actually, is the reason I came."
Without asking for permission he entered the house. Jethro wasn't sure if he should step in and he stayed ready to throw the man out at once if necessary.
„My lawyer did call your lawyer and then he told me that your lawyer called you Mr. DiNozzo-Gibbs. I was wondering where the Gibbs suddenly came from."
DiNozzo senior raised an eyebrow as Jethro cleared his throat to get the older man's attention. The coin dropped quite quickly.
„So, it is what I thought. You did marry a man."
„Why would you care? 8 years, Dad! 8 years I'm married and you don't get it before your brother dies!"
Jethro knew that he had tried to tell his father but the other man wasn't reachable for more than three weeks and Tony finally had accepted that he didn't want to talk to him.
„That's not what I came for."
DiNozzo said firmly and Tony rolled his eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked pretty much like a pouting boy.
„I want at least half of the money."
Tony snorted and let his arms drop.
„You wish! Anyway, most of the money is not reachable anyway."
„What do you mean, not reachable?"
DiNozzo's voice rose slightly and Tony grinned at the agitated expression. Apparently because he knew that for once it couldn't have any consequences if he pissed off his father, though Jethro wondered what consequences it had had before.
„Well, half a million went into the house. I bought Jethro and myself a new car. And we invested some of it. Part of it we invested into the education of our children..."
„CHILDREN?"
Tony bit his lip to keep control.
„Yes. We have a daughter and a son. And another one of the way..."
„One the way? You're pregnant?"
„That's how it works."
For a long moment there was an icy silence between the two DiNozzos. Jethro saw that Tony just wanted his father to go but stayed at his place, he didn't want to risk a scene.
„I have an appointment, so if you don't have anything to say please go."
Tony said overly polite as if he was talking to someone he had never met before.
„I do have things to say."
„Ok, but I don't care. Go."
„You haven't changed a bit, Anthony."
Tony closed his eyes, trying to calm himself but anger was boiling in him and he didn't know how long he could stay in the same room with his father before he would explode.
„Behaviour like this brought your mother so far."
Boom.
„Are you kidding?"
Tony's voice was high pitched and Jethro knew that now Tony had lost all his control.
„It was your fault that she killed herself!"
Jethro just managed to not let his jaw drop. He knew that Tony's mother was dead but he had thought she had died on some illness or in an accident.
„She was mentally ill and you didn't get her the help she needed because it would have been bad for your image! She thought I'm dead! That's why she killed herself!"
Confused Jethro stood between the two.
„If you had done what I had planned for you it wouldn't have happened!"
„If you had accepted that I wasn't your marionette it wouldn't have happened. If you hadn't said that for you your son was dead she wouldn't have thought that. Now get the hell out of my house!"
„Don't talk to me like that! I'm still your father!"
„Yeah? Well, I guess we have very different definitions of that word. I am a father. Jethro is a father. You are just the man who slept with my mother. Now get out and leave me alone!"
„Anthony..."
„I think Tony made his point clear."
Jethro stepped finally in. His voice was calm but firm and it was clear, at least to Tony, that he wouldn't accept if his statement wasn't followed.
„It is my right..."
„He said get out!"
The three men turned to the stairs where Lish and Dan stood. Both had their arms crossed over their chest and shot their grandfather looks of death. Jethro use the moment of confused to seize DiNozzo by the arm and push him out of the door.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.