Rigged ::: Chapter 4
Gibbs helped the shocked Abby off the elevator and up to the squad room where Tony was still sitting at his desk. He was a bit shocked to not see McGee there as well. “Where's Tim?”
Tony looked up and automatically stood up when he saw the scared look on Abby's face. “He went out to get dinner, what's wrong with Abby?”
“She needs to talk to Tim,” Gibbs simply said as he gently sat her down at McGee's desk and then went to get her a glass of water.
Abby put her head in her hands and closed her eyes. She kept running the conversation she needed to have with Tim over and over in her head. They had talked about children, but had both come to the conclusion that it probably would never happen. They both loved their jobs too much and it would be rather difficult to fit a child into their fast paced and busy lifestyle. Still she found herself making baby faces and having fun whenever Charles brought Brendan to the office to have lunch with Jimmy. Times like that she felt her motherly instincts kicking in but would go home and snuggle and take care of Jethro and would be content again.
Tony walked over to Abby and crouched down next to her. “Hey Abbs...what's going on?” he asked gently. He always hated to see Abby sad because she was always so bubbly and energetic.
“The world is ending,” Abby mumbled as she looked at a picture of her that was sitting on McGee's desk. Just seeing the picture quickly brought her back to tears.
Tony had NO idea what to do with the crying woman. When it came to female emotions he had always felt like he was treading water and almost drowning in a sea of their tears. 'Where's McGeek when you need him' he thought to himself as he reached over and rubbed Abby's back to hopefully bring some sort of comfort.
Gibbs came walking back into the room with a glass of water in his hands. He gave Tony an exasperated look. “What did you do?” he asked his Senior Field Agent.
“I didn't do anything Boss. I simply asked her what was wrong and she started crying again.” Tony tried to explain.
“Timmy!” Abby whaled through tears as she continued to look at another picture of the two of them together.
“See that's what happened before.” Tony said pointing at the picture on the desk. “Is something going on between the two of them? I mean there is that Bert thing.”
Gibbs couldn't take it and slapped Tony upside the head for the second time that day. “You REALLY need to learn to shut it.” he stated glaring at the younger man. “Why don't you go make yourself useful and call Tim to find out when he's coming back.”
“There's no need, I'm here.” McGee said as he came walking out of the elevator with the Thai take out that he knew Abby loved. “What's going on?” he asked automatically going to Abby's side. “What's wrong baby?”
Normally Gibbs would have said something about public displays of affection, but right now it didn't matter. The woman he often thought of as a daughter to him was in pain and possibly in a rather messed up situation. He really hoped that McGee was the man he thought he was and would man up to his responsibilities.
“Tim, why don't you take Abby back down to her lab to eat your dinner? We can go over the findings of your search when you're done.” Gibbs said knowing the two of them really needed some time alone to talk things through. If he knew the case could wait he would have just told them to go home.
Tim still wasn't sure what was going on but figured he should follow Gibbs' directions and took Abby by the hand and led her to the elevator.
The two of them didn't say anything until they were both sitting in Abby's office with their take-out food containers in front of them. “So you need to talk to me?” Tim asked figuring he should start the conversation.
Abby nodded her head and sighed, “I think something has happened...something big that is going to change things.”
Tim wasn't sure what that meant but simply nodded his own head in hopes that Abby would continue talking.
“I'm close to three weeks late,” Abby said as she felt tears coming to her eyes again. She knew Tim would understand what she was saying and quite frankly she was surprised neither of them didn't notice this until now. Both her and Tim worked like clock work. Their cycles never messed up more then a day or two so this was a really big deal.
He wasn't sure what Abby was talking about at first but when it finally came to him, Tim's eyes went wide. “You mean...you're...we're...”
“If you're trying to say that I'm pregnant then yeah,” Abby said. “I haven't gotten a test or anything, Gibbs seemed think I should talk to you first before that so I could have the support. I am going to have support right?”
“Of course you will,” McGee said with a small smile as he pulled Abby into his arms and onto his lap so he could cuddle her. “I know we have been talking about the possibility of not having children because of our jobs, but this is okay we're going to figure it out. I mean If Jimmy could work almost to his due-date with the way his pregnancy was then I know everything is going to be okay.”
Abby was so pleased to hear Tim say these words that she gave him the biggest kiss on the lips. “We should go see Ducky, he can do the test for us.”
McGee nodded his head and helped Abby up off his lap. With his hand in hers they headed down to Autopsy to talk to Ducky.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The tension in the squad room was high once McGee & Abby left. Tony and Gibbs hadn't been alone in a room since the incident the pervious day and neither knew how to act around each other.
Tony went back to his desk and tried to make himself look busy. He knew there was something he was actually supposed to be doing, but couldn't remember. All he could hear in his head was the way Gibbs had just yelled at him. It was different then the normal kind of yelling Gibbs did, it actually made it sound like Gibbs was mad at Tony the person rather then Special Agent DiNozzo.
“I thought you were going to go find Ziva.” Gibbs spat when he realized Tony wasn't getting back up.
Tony looked up from his computer screen and looked blankly at Gibbs. “What?”
Gibbs walked over to Tony's desk and glared at him. “Conference room...now.” he spat before heading towards the elevator, not looking back to make sure Tony was actually following him.
There was nothing Tony could do but follow Gibbs to the elevator. Once the doors closed he watched Gibbs push the emergency shut off button and simply waited for his doom.
Gibbs could feel his blood boiling and wanted nothing more then to scream and yell at his senior field agent. He also knew that only part of the anger was the fact that Tony had been lost in thought most of the day and his job was suffering. The other part had to do with what happened the day before.
“You need to get your head out of your ass and stop moping around and do your job, DiNozzo.” Gibbs said moving so he was nose to nose with the younger man. “I don't want to hear any excuses, I want to see results.”
Tony couldn't help but swallow hard as he nodded his head. Having Gibbs this close to him made him shift uneasily where he stood. “Yes Boss,” he said in a voice that he wished came out more sure then it actually sounded.
Gibbs nodded his head and turned to face the elevator door, but didn't push the button to have them start moving again. It was silent for over a minute before he spoke again, his voice showing no emotion what so ever. “What happened yesterday...happened. You are going to have to move on and forget about it. If it starts affecting how you work, then I may have to figure something else out.”
Gritting his teeth Tony tried hard not to lash back out at the other man for acting like Tony was the one that had the problem. What he remembered in that warehouse there had been two people. Sure, Tony was in the aggressive role, but Gibbs was there too. It happened to both of them and he shouldn't be the only one that suffers.
When Tony didn't say anything, Gibbs turned to look at him again. “Do I make myself clear, DiNozzo?”
The way Gibbs said his last name made Tony stand at attention. “Crystal clear Boss.” he said before reaching over and flicking the switch so they could start moving again. He knew he was probably taking too much initiative by doing so, but he needed to get out of the elevator and now.
Gibbs didn't say anything and allowed the doors to open and walked into the squad room and back to his desk without saying another word.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
It was almost ten that night before Tony got into his car to head home. Most of it had been because they were following up on some leads with the case, but also because they stopped to have ice cream with Abby and McGee after they announced that Abby was indeed pregnant. Even in his melancholy and rather pissed off mood, Tony couldn't help but be in a good mood and happy for his friends and their news. A baby was going to be a big responsibility for them, but he also knew both of them well enough to know they would be great parents. Now, he only hoped Tim would be able to buck up and give Abby the ring he was carrying around in his pocket.
Sighing; Tony sat in his car for a second before he reached for his cell phone and dialed a familiar number. When there was an an answer on the other end he almost felt himself break down. “Hi...it's me...can I come over?”
Jeanne Benoit was only slightly shocked to hear Tony's voice on the other end of the phone. It was all an odd coincidence that the two of them had ran into each other again. She had been away from D.C. since after her father's death and the murder trial but came back about two months ago because of a job offer she couldn't pass up just because of a closet full of skeletons. It was at the hospital that she ran into Tony since he was there investigating a case. It had been awkward at first but they had been able to get coffee and talk and quickly became good friends. They still had chemistry but now it was only of a friendly nature. Now she knew the real Tony, he wasn't Tony DiNardo film professor but Special Agent Tony DiNozzo and she loved the way they could be such good friends even more so then they had been when dating. It was that friendship that made her rather worried when she heard the man's tone over the phone.
“Tony is everything okay?” She asked automatically getting up off the couch from where she was watching TV to make sure she had a pot of coffee going. She had a feeling they would be up a while longer talking that night.
Tony was going to lie but knew Jeanne would be able to see right through it even though they were talking over the phone. “No...I...I just really need a friend right now.”
“The door's unlocked, come on up.” Jeanne said before hanging up the phone.
Thankful for their friendship, Tony started his car and headed the twenty minute drive to Jeanne's townhouse. It was in a rather nice neighborhood but not extremely fancy. Tony was happy that she was able to buy the house rather then rent since it seemed she had bad luck with having apartments turn into condos and being forced out. After parking the car he took the steps two at a time and opened the door. He couldn't help but smile a little when he smelled the coffee the second he walked inside.
“You're the greatest,” He said as he walked into the kitchen where he knew she would be and grabbed himself a mug.
Jeanne leaned back against the counter watching Tony as he poured creamer into his cup and then put the coffee in. She was about to tell him where the sugar was when he found it himself. It was times like that she wished she was a more spontaneous person because if he knew where she kept the sugar then she must be organizing the cabinets the same way she had done before. “Are you going to tell me what's wrong?” she asked worriedly.
“I fucked up,” Tony simply stated as he stared into his coffee mug.
“You're going to have to give me more to go on then that, because Tony...that isn't exactly a new thing for you.” Jeanne said with a slight laugh, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
Tony rolled his eyes playfully as he walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch. “No I mean I really fucked up this time Jeanne.”
Jeanne really was worried now as she took a seat next to Tony on the couch, turning so she was looking right at him. “Okay tell me about it.”
Tony sighed and started talking. “Gibbs and I had to go down to the docks to get a signature for a case we were finishing yesterday and everything was going as planned. I mean the case was already closed everything was good but then these thugs came out of the middle of nowhere and knocked us both on the head. We both woke up in a warehouse on the opposite side of town.”
“Did these people have something to do with the case?” Jeanne asked her eyes wide and automatically found herself looking Tony over to make sure he wasn't hurt.
“No it was something totally different. These guys were pretty much amateur drug dealers and they thought Gibbs and I were there to mess up their deal.” Tony explained and then continued with the story when Jeanne nodded. “So when we woke up we were both handcuffed to the wall, which wouldn't have been a huge deal if it wasn't for the fact that the handcuffs were rigged with explosives.”
Now Jeanne's eyes were even wider. “Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed.
Tony nodded, “Yeah so we were pretty stuck and just sat there trying to come up with ways to get out of there. We were hoping that Ziva and McGee were back at the office trying to figure out where we were since we had missed our check-in. It was at that point the dealers came back and it became rather obvious they didn't know much about holding people like that.”
“Seems like they knew enough if they had you handcuffed to explosives.” Jeanne pointed out making a face.
“Their boss was this big shot dealer, it was his stuff they used. They had been taught well but didn't have the experience.” Tony said as he shifted on the couch, not sure how to tell the next part. He wanted to tell the truth but in doing so he felt he was going to offend the woman as well.
“They felt they had the upper-hand since we were still attached to the explosives. We didn't want to risk anything even if they were rather idiotic and we soon found out perverted as well.” Tony added.
Jeanne wasn't sure she wanted to know but sat still waiting to hear the rest of the story.
Tony continued on, “They ended up forcing Gibbs and I to have sex...me on top of him.”
“Oh my god!” Jeanne exclaimed even louder then she had before. “You mean you actually had to sex...because of a case...could you even do it right?”
Tony bit his lower lip and nodded his head, “That really wasn't the big problem...'cause like...I have feelings for Gibbs.”
“Oh...” Jeanne said as she took all the information in. “Does he have feelings for you too?”
Tony shorted and shook his head, “Not even close...it's very obvious he did all of it because it was to keep us safe, mostly me since I am a member of his team and he doesn't let a member of his team get hurt if he can prevent it.”
Jeanne understood that even though she didn't think it was right. She knew when her and Tony had been sleeping together Tony was on a case as well. It was hard for her to grasp the fact that Tony had done many things because he simply had to. But while grasping that fact she had also been reminded that Tony hadn't been forced to have sex with her. He had told her that the physical aspect of their relationship had been because he wanted to. The director of NCIS hadn't told him he must sleep with her so that had been up to him. She also knew that there was more then just physical feelings between the two of them at first, which was probably how they were such good friends now. “So how exactly did you fuck up as you say? I mean it sounds like neither of you were given a chance and that Gibbs knew what he was doing.”
“I know that, but I still feel completely guilty. He must know I have feelings for him now. I can't imagine it wasn't on my face when I...well...when we.” Tony put his mug down on the coffee table and rubbed at his face. “I want more of it Jeanne, I couldn't sleep last night because I kept having dreams. In some of them it was the two of us making love where he wanted it just as much as me. Then other were nightmares that always ended in him hating me forever because I forced him to have sex.”
“But YOU didn't force him, it was the crazy ass drug dealers.” Jeanne said and then thought of something. “What ever happened to them? How did you get out?”
“They ran when their boss got back. It seems they deactivated the explosives attached to the handcuffs then ran before Ziva and McGee arrived.” Tony laughed even though it really wasn't funny. “It was a completely idiotic thing to happen. It had nothing to do with anything and yet it's killing me inside. I feel like my emotions have been on a huge roller-coaster today. First I wake up hungover to high Heaven then we get a really weird case at work which has us all working our asses off. Oh and Abby's been moody as hell and come to find out she's pregnant.”
Jeanne couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips. “Wow the idea of Abby and McGee having a baby is almost frightening.”
“The idea the two of them have had sex is enough to give me goosebumps.” Tony teased a small smile on his own face. “Why can't things be easy? Why can't Gibbs let me mope and just handle this the way I know how?”
“Is he not letting you?” Jeanne questioned curiously.
Tony shook his head in the negative, “He's being a jack-ass and even more of a bastard then normal. He pretty much threatened to fire me if I wasn't able to keep my mind on my job.”
“Does anybody else at work know?”
“No and they aren't going to. Gibbs and I left that whole part out of our report. There isn't any point in them knowing since it really isn't a case. None of us were hurt.” Tony said even though he sure felt hurt. It may not be noticeable from the outside but on the inside he felt sick.
Jeanne sighed, “I'm glad you've told me then Tony, because you really need somebody to talk to.”
Tony smiled again, “I'm glad you're back Jeanne.” he said giving her a tight hug.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gibbs sat on the cold wet grass with his flashlight in hand, his face full of deep emotions that he was finally letting show. “Jen...I don't know what to do.” he whispered to the gravestone in front of him.
“Tony and I were forced to do something that I probably would never had told you about if you were still alive. It kind of reminded me of Paris, but in a more evasive sort of way. It's been forever since I've let a man inside of me both physically and mentally and I feel like I'm drowning. I know he's hurting too because I've seen it on his face all day. Of course I lived up to the extra 'B' in my name and yelled at him, basically told him if he doesn't get his shit together then I was going to hand him the ol' pink sheet. I don't think I would ever actually do it, but I wouldn't put it past Tony to just walk away and leave if I continue the way I did today. Hell he's been at NCIS almost six years longer then he's been anywhere else. “
Gibbs quickly blinked back tears he felt coming to the surface. He wasn't going to let himself cry not over something like this.
“Jen...I hope you've made it good with the Big Man because I could use some of his...whatever...right now. I know I need to apologize for my behavior today but I don't know how without making things even worse. I don't want to give him false hope, make him think we've got a chance as a couple or something. It's not that I don't like him or anything I just don't have that kind of connection. He's a good friend and an awesome colleague but thats all it is. Now the question is how do I let him know that without hurting him even more.”
With that said he stood up, brushed off the seat of his pants and looked back down at the words that read...
Jennifer Lauren Shepherd
October 28, 1963 " May 20, 2008
'Strength, Courage & Love'
“Semper Fi...Jenny.” Gibbs whispered before turning to head for his car.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Author's Note:
Hey everybody! I just wanted to say thanks again for all the feedback I've been getting. It's great to know my story is appreciated and gives me inspiration!
Oh and I also wanted to mention I took the liberty to give Jenny Shepherd a middle name and birthdate. The birthdate is actually Lauren Holly's real birthday and year. I'm not sure what age Jenny was supposed to be but I feel this fits, at least it does for the purpose of the story!
Rigged by Gibbs_Teff