Chapter Ten: Meet The Parents
"Come on, Tony. Time to get up," McGee called, walking back into the bedroom holding two cups of coffee.
"Mmf..." Tony groaned, burying his head under his pillow.
McGee sighed, setting Tony's coffee on the nightstand. "I told my parents we'd be there by noon, T. We agreed on this, remember?"
"Not feelin' good," the older man mumbled into the pillow.
McGee reached over and pulled the pillow off his lover's head. "You promised you wouldn't fight me on this.," he said, looking down at him.
"Not fighting," Tony groaned, throwing an arm over his face to block the light. "Sick. Don't wanna get sick at your parents' house. What kinda first impression would that be?"
"Tony.... Don't do this. Not today. Please."
Forcing his eyes open, Tony scowled at McGee for a moment before he threw the covers from his body. "You suck, McGee."
"You weren't complaining about it last night. Now get up. Please."
Cocking an eyebrow at his lover, Tony could hardly contain a smirk. "You're right. There was definitely no need to complain about that. But you can never have too much practice so how about we skip--"
"Up! Now!"
Sighing loudly, Tony pushed himself up and climbed from the warm mattress, scowling at McGee. "I'm up. Happy?"
"Ecstatic," McGee responded dryly. "Now get ready."
"Don't you even care that I said I'm sick?!" Tony asked incredulously.
"I would if you were actually sick."
"I could be!"
"But you're not."
"But I could be, dammit!"
"Tony!" McGee snapped, his voice sharp.
Narrowing his eyes at McGee, Tony brushed passed him and headed for the dresser. "Fine!"
Taking a deep breath, McGee crossed the space between them and wrapped his arms around Tony from behind, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "Thank you."
"They aren't going to like me."
"You're right... They'll love you."
OoOoOoO
It was everything Tony could do to keep his morning coffee down as McGee turned into his parent's driveway. Although he'd feigned an upset stomach that morning in an attempt to get out of coming, he had to swallow hard to keep from ruining his lover's car interior.
"Relax," McGee insisted as he reached over, grasping Tony's hand in his. "They're going to love you, T."
"Yeah, you keep saying that but I don't know if it's making me feel better or worse."
"It's going to be okay. Just a quick lunch and if you're still uncomfortable, we'll leave, okay? We just... They have to know."
Swallowing hard again, Tony nodded, eyeing the large house as they drew closer.
Putting the car into park, McGee climbed out of the driver's seat before hurrying around to Tony's side.
Accepting his lover's offered hand, Tony allowed McGee to pull him from the car, groaning at the slight ache in his back from sitting for so long.
"You okay?" McGee asked, resting a hand on the older man's back, frowning slightly. "You look a little pale."
"Told you I was sick earlier. You should have listened."
Cocking an eyebrow, McGee reached up and pressed his hand to Tony's forehead, his frown returning when he realized he felt a little warmer than usual.
"You're fine," McGee insisted though he made a mental note to keep a close eye on Tony. Though he liked to play up small injuries and illnesses, he knew that if Tony really was starting to get sick, he'd never open his mouth.
"Is it too late to change my mind about this?"
McGee gave his lover an exhausted look, fighting to not roll his eyes. "Yes." He said, turning away and heading for the front door.
Tony frowned. "But I'm sick!" He whined, following after him.
McGee had already knocked on the door when Tony caught up to him, rubbing his lower back. McGee looked over at Tony and frowned, worried about him.
"Timothy!"
"Hey, mom." McGee greeted, noticing Tony tense out of the corner of his eye. He reached over and took his lover's hand in his, lacing their fingers together. "This is Tony DiNozzo."
He watched as she eyed their interlaced fingers for a moment before she offered Tony a bright smile and pulled him into a hug.
"It's nice to meet you, Tony!"
"It's... nice to finally meet you too, Mrs. McGee," Tony managed, as he tugged on his oversized shirt nervously in an attempt to hide his rounded stomach.
"Oh please honey, call me Linda. Come on in," she said with a bright smile as she pulled the door open wider.
Stepping through the door, McGee pulled Tony after him, pausing only to peck his mother's cheek.
"You look good, sweetheart," Linda commented as she looked her son over carefully. "A little tired, but good."
"We've... Had a lot going on," McGee said as he smiled slightly at his quiet lover.
"Well get in here. Your father is in the living room. Go say hello and then we'll have lunch," Linda commanded as she patted Tony on the arm. "Can I get you a drink, sweetheart?"
"Oh no. I'm fine, thank you," Tony said as he forced his most charming smile.
"Don't be silly. Come on into the kitchen with me. No need to be shy," she smiled.
Looking helplessly at McGee, Tony allowed himself to be pulled into the kitchen by Linda.
"Make yourself at home," she said with a smile as she made her way over to the sink to wash her hands. "What can I get for you?"
"Just some water will be fine, thank you."
"You're so polite," Linda smiled as she grabbed a glass. "So tell me... How long have you known Timmy?"
"Oh... Uh, we've worked together for a few years now."
"Mom, is Tim-- Holy shit!"
Turning at the sound of the voice, Tony couldn't help but grin at his partner's little sister. Though he hadn't met McGee's parents before, his little sister Sarah had stopped by for lunch with her big brother a couple times at work, and Tony genuinely liked her. "Hey Sarah."
"You've got to be kidding me! You're the important person he's been so sketchy about?"
Narrowing her eyes at Tony as she crossed the room, Sarah walked into his open arms and hugged him tightly.
"It's good to see ya, kid."
"I wish I could say the same for you! Really Tony? Tim? I didn't know your standards were so low. And what the hell?" She asked as she pulled away. "You've put on some weight. I thought they had fitness standards at NCIS," she teased.
"Sarah!"
Tony offered his lover's younger sister a smirk. "A common misconception. If that was true, half the department wouldn't have a job."
"Including Timmy," Sarah snickered though she yelped when her mother swatted her. "Hey!"
"Go make yourself useful," Linda said as she handed her a stack of plates. "And stop harassing Tony."
"Don't let him fool you, mom. He likes it," McGee said with a grin as he stepped into the kitchen.
Tony eyed his lover with a smirk as he drew closer.
"You okay?" McGee asked quietly as his mother followed Sarah into the dining room.
"I'm good," Tony said as he leaned back against his chest. "For now. Ask me again after we've told them."
----
Lunch went off without a hitch, McGee decided as he watched his lover interact with his parents.
Tony had charmed his mother in a matter of minutes and had impressed his father George with his knowledge of college football.
Though he'd been positive that his family would take to Tony, he couldn't help but feel relieved that they were getting along so well.
"So..." Sarah began, offering Tony a mischievous smile as he took a sip of his water. "How long have you two been bon--"
"Dishes Sarah! Now!" Linda interrupted, narrowing her eyes at her daughter as Tony coughed loudly, his eyes wide as he choked on the liquid.
Sarah couldn't contain her laugh as she pushed herself to her feet and headed into the kitchen, snickering quietly.
"I don't know where we went wrong with that one," George commented dryly as McGee patted Tony furiously on the back.
"I heard that daddy!" Sarah called from the kitchen.
"Are you okay?" McGee asked, rubbing his lover's shoulder.
"I'm... Fine," Tony coughed as he took another drink. "Wasn't... Quite expecting that one. You sure she doesn't want to get into law enforcement? She'd fit right in with our team."
"No. You and Ziva are bad enough," McGee reminded him before turning back to his parents. "And now that Sarah has totally embarrassed us... There's uh... Something we wanted to talk to you about."
McGee could feel Tony tense at his side. Reaching over for his hand, he linked their fingers together, squeezing reassuringly.
Tony swallowed hard, his stomach doing flip flops as his lover's parents looked at them expectantly. Though he'd managed to relax over the course of lunch, his nerves were beginning to get the best of him again.
"Okay... Well are you going to make us guess?" Linda laughed after a moment.
"What? Oh... No. I just... Well I-I don't really know how to... I guess the b-best way would be to just..."
"I haven't heard you stutter this much since the speech at your graduation," Sarah scoffed as she came back into the dining room. "Spit it out, Timmy!"
McGee narrowed his eyes at his little sister before turning back to Tony. "Right... Well we... Or I guess I should say Tony is... He's... He uh...We're--"
Scowling at her brother, Sarah crossed her arms over her chest. "Sometime today, Tim! Jesus. What'd you do, knock him up?"
"Sarah!" McGee growled.
"Oh my God! You did! You told me he had food poisoning the last time I had lunch with you!"
"We didn't know then!"
"How long have you known?" Linda asked as she looked at her son and his partner.
"I only found out about a month ago," Tony said as he swallowed again.
"And you didn't think to tell us sooner, Timothy?" George asked.
"We've had a lot going on, dad. I mean, we really just started getting used to the idea ourselves. And I d-didn't... I wasn't sure how you'd react to..."
"You having a thing for boys? Oh please. We've always known you preferred guys," Sarah snorted, earning herself another swat from her mother.
"Sarah, that's enough," Linda warned before she turned back to the two men in front of her. "I am not happy that you waited to tell me, Timothy. And I don't like that you felt like you had to hide your relationship either."
"I'm sorry," McGee muttered quietly.
"Apology accepted," Linda assured him as she reached across the table, squeezing his hand gently. "Now... Am I going to have a granddaughter or grandson to spoil?"
OoOoOoO
It had been a long week, Abby decided as she climbed the front steps tiredly, her heavy boots thumping loudly against the wooden porch.
Gibbs had been more distant than usual since that night nearly a week ago, and though he assured her that nothing between them had changed, she wasn't so sure about that.
It wasn't that she didn't understand where he was coming from, because she did. But just because she understood didn't mean it was easy to deal with.
Pushing the front door open, Abby stepped into the house with a quiet sigh. She had just kicked her shoes off when Gibbs called to her, his voice drifting in from the kitchen.
Dropping her keys into the dish behind the door, she padded into the kitchen quietly.
"Hi," her blue eyed lover greeted, a grin on his face.
"Hi back," she responded, eyeing the lit candles on the table and the covered dish. "What's for dinner?"
"Don't you worry about that right now," he said as he crossed the room, closing the gap between them. Gibbs cupped her chin gently, tilting her head up before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips.
"Mmm..." she moaned softly against him, her smile widening as they broke apart. Lifting her arms, she draped them around his neck. Pressing herself against him, she dropped her head to his shoulder as his hands found her hips.
"I've missed you this week," he said, his warm breath tickling her ear.
"I've been right here."
"Uh huh. You have been. But I haven't," he said as he pulled away, frowning down at her. "I'm sorry, Abby. I should have never--"
"You don't have to do this. I understand, J. Really, I do. I don't need an explanation and I certainly don't need an apology," she said as she stood on her toes to kiss his lips again.
"No? Then what do you need?"
"You," she said quietly. "Just you."
----
Rolling over, Gibbs draped an arm over his sleeping Goth's bare hip as he pulled her back against his chest.
He had been more distant than usual over the course of the last week, with thoughts of Shannon and Kelly weighing heavily on his mind.
He hadn't meant to pull away from Abby, but the revelation that she wanted a baby had hit him hard.
It had been difficult enough for him when he realized that Abby was awakening feelings in him that he hadn't felt since Shannon, but he never once felt like he was replacing her.
But the thought of having another child?
Pushing the thought out of his mind, he held Abby closer and closed his eyes, the dull ache in his chest intensifying slightly as he pressed a kiss to her cheek.
"I'm sorry. I'm just not ready," he whispered.
"S'okay," Abby responded, her voice thick with sleep. Turning in his arms, she pressed her face against his chest and breathed in his scent. "I can wait."
Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, Gibbs pulled the sheet up over her body. "I love you Abs."
"I know," she murmured sleepily. "Love you too, J."
Chapter End Notes:
A/N: As always, a huge thank you to my chica Kelley again. I'm serious you guys. She's amazing. Thank you to everyone who's taken five seconds after reading the chapters to review. Y'all keep me going. I apologize that this chap took a little longer to get out, but I'm on the midnight shift at work this week and I have a hard time concentrating! Because of that, this chapter may be a little weird and if it is, I'm sorry! I'll try to do better with the next chapter! Remember: Reviews help me write faster and Tony says they're better than a warm bed and McGee.